Hello: Mason Graham
Let’s play catch-up, since Michigan picked up four commits for their 2022 class since football began. The first was DT Mason Graham, a guy rising to one site, falling to another, and at least 6’3”/290 to all. Graham is a wrestler who was committed to Boise State, and is still adding to his offer list despite choosing Michigan on September 16. By all accounts Courtney Morgan was instrumental in this California recruitment; Graham plays for an LA power program, and was an early target of Fresno State. Michigan offered in late August when the lower rung of Pac 12 schools were trying to pry Graham loose from the Broncos, a visit for the Washington game sealed it, and the upper tier of the Pac-12 leapt in too late. I bet we’ll get to use the word “motor” in short order.
GURU RATINGS
Rivals: 6'3”/292 | ESPN: 6’3”/290 | 247: 6’4/295 | 247 Comp |
---|---|---|---|
3*, 5.5, NR Ovr NR DT, #84 CA |
3*, 77, #126 West #66 DT, #65 CA |
3*, 89, NR Ovr #48 DL, #33 CA |
3*, 0.8640, #721 Ovr, #102 DL, #55 CA |
3.46* ⬆⬇ | 3.60 ➡ | 3.95* ⬆⬆ | 3.64 ⬆ |
Arrows show trend of recruiting rankings. An arrow is like a third of a star.
The 247 guys started Graham at an 83 about a year ago, and he’s been steadily climbing since, jumping another 100 spots on the composite and to just below four stars two weeks after his Michigan pledge, via an article that discusses guys with potential to crack the Top 247. Rivals shot him up to the #57 player in California (a 3.7 on our scale) last spring but has since dropped him to #84 (3.5) in their early September re-rank. ESPN looked recently and settled a little higher than Rivals.
[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]
SCOUTING
We’ll begin with 247’s account in the aforementioned article, which references the scouting of West analyst Greg Biggins:
"Anaheim (Calif.) Servite's Mason Graham (88 rating up to 89) has been the most dominant defensive lineman in the state this year. He has eight sacks in four games and has shown the ability to move around and play inside or outside along the defensive line. He has grown-man strength and plays with a non-stop motor, which is even more more impressive when you consider he starts full time on the offensive line a well. Graham plays with advanced technique, has strong hands, and you can see his wrestling background in how he's able to use leverage and balance to bully opposing linemen. Graham committed last week to Michigan but schools are still coming after him including USC, who just offered on Wednesday."
Mmmm motor. Mmmm wrestling. And I like the fact that he plays both ways, something that also impressed Biggens($):
Graham moves around all over the defensive line while also playing every snap at left tackle. It was amazing watching him play every snap on both sides of the line against a Sierra Canyon team that was huge up front and play as well as he did.
He also uses the words “relentless” and notes Graham’s consistently success against double-teams, repeating themes from a game against fellow California power Sierra Canyon a week earlier. Conditioning sounds like it won’t be an issue.
Biggens also said he believed Graham would have shot up the rankings faster in a normal recruiting cycle, though they still got to see him in a camp setting last winter:
He shined at the Team Makasi 1st Round Exposure Camp in San Diego back in December and made our Top Performers list. He was dominant in the pass drills, combining a quick first step, strong hands and a powerful bull rush.
Graham’s coach might have been playing to the audience by making his Boise State connection, but it’s notable that he told Biggens (who made it clear that he doesn’t agree) that Graham has a higher ceiling on offense.
"I think he has an NFL future on the offensive line," Thomas said. "He's really good on both sides but as an offensive lineman, that's where I really like him a lot. I coached Travis Averill, who went on to play at Boise State and in the NFL and I think Graham is just as good a prospect if not even better."
If you’re wondering what the difference is at this level: fast feet are better for OL, while pad level is a mark of defensive upside.
Rivals’ EJ Holland summarized the reports from Western analysts in his commitment post($):
Graham isn't overly athletic on tape, but he's explosive, has a quick first step, plays with power, a non-stop motor and just makes plays. Graham is really coming along as a senior in the Trinity League, arguable the toughest high school league in America. While Graham is rated on the lower end, I'm perfectly fine taking him. He's the type of guy that will pop up and be a multi-year starter.
Holland noted that Graham put on about 30 pounds this year (early in the video), which is what perked up Michigan’s ears, and then started having a big senior year (he’s up to 8 sacks now). In a note for subscribers Holland got an opposing coach to talk about Graham($) (and fellow under-the-radar 3-star commit Kevonte Henry and Michigan’s recruiting in SoCal in general). I got special permission to use the full quote so we can count how many times this coach says “freak”.
"Mason Graham is a freak. That man is a freak. I've been a fan of him since his seventh grade year. His body frame and his athleticism have gotten so much better over the last year. He's just a freak. Michigan got lucky with Mason Graham. I don't know what UCLA and USC were thinking, but the guy at USC isn't there anymore (laughs). I'm not sure what those schools did, but Michigan is getting a steal.
Servite is one of those schools with its own recruiting coordinator, and used “twitchy” a lot:
"He's so twitchy in person. I know you can see it on film, but when you see him in person, he's a lot twitchier. He's got active hands and moves so well for a guy that weighs 290-295, which is pretty heavy. We like our guys a little thinner here at Servite, but he carries his weight so well. He has no belly. "He's ready to roll. I think he's a plug and play guy at the next level."
SI’s Brandon Brown sees a “high-floor type of prospect”.
He's going to get bigger and stronger, but he pretty much is what he is — a stout, strong run stopper who can press the middle of the pocket some. He's billed as someone who takes the weight room very seriously and he should continue to improve a lot at the next level.
ESPN,
…is really earning that sub I’m still too embarrassed to submit to Brian for reimbursement.
OFFERS
Previously headed to Boise State, Graham’s recruitment jumped to a new level over the summer. Oregon State and Arizona State seemed like the main competition when he committed, and Wisconsin was poking around. In the weeks since, Oregon and USC tried to jump in, and were rebuffed. Other than Fresno State, Army and Penn offered early, which service academies and Ivy League interest is a sign that Graham’s academics are likely in good order.
HIGH SCHOOL
Servite is a longtime mecca for high school talent. They have produced a hundred FBS players; some of those you’ve heard of include 5-stars Matt Kalil, Chris Galippo, and DJ Dhoemate (USC), Equanimeous St. Brown (ND), CB Julius Irvin (Washington), and ND OL Troy Niklas. They have LB and QB committed to Arizona for 2022 and a national CB/Slot for 2024 in Emmett Mosley.
Via Graham, his school runs the same defense as Army, which is a variant of the 404 Tite. Interesting.
STATS
Via Max Preps he’s now up to 13 sacks and 78 tackles (37 solo) in 21 games. Ten of those sacks and 38 of those tackles are from eight games this year.
FAKE 40 TIME
No forty time. That’s fake. His Hudl page lists a bench of 300 and deadlift of 455.
VIDEO
This is five games of his senior year:
More video, including his junior and sophomore highlights and single-game reels, can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
Graham is a pretty easy scout. He’s thicc, gets off the line really fast, but also gets high and doesn’t have a whole lot of speed. He is already so technically sound however that he’s an immediate problem up the middle, and not one that can be dealt with with a double-team. The difference between his junior film—when he was a slow-footed, pile-pushing nose—and the senior film where he’s whipping past guys Ryan Glasgow-style, is immense.
He should immediately bolster Michigan’s depth at all three tackle positions, and could crack the rotation if some guys leave. Most likely they get him a four-game redshirt as they save his eligibility behind what’s turning out to be a solid rotation down to Jess Speight. Where he goes from there depends on which DTs hit their ceilings, and how quickly they move on. Michigan has shown they would like to use up to nine DTs, so there’s plenty of opportunity to get on the field. But they’re also taking three a year, and only have to lose Whittley out of the current group after this season. If there’s a logjam, they could look at Graham on the offensive line, but his arms are not that big, and I agree with Biggens that the greater upside is on defense.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
When Graham committed, MI 3* Davonte Miles (7/29) and MI 4* Alex VanSumeren (2/11) had already decommitted, so he was the third but again sole DT commit in the class. Since then Kenneth Grant committed, and Michigan is still pursuing Cass Tech 4* Deone Walker, and FL 3* Isaiah Hastings, and remain on the periphery for TN 5* Walter Nolen but that would take getting a lot more serious about “NIL” and isn’t likely to happen.
OFFENSE | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Player | State | Stars | In a nutshell |
QB | Jayden Denegal | CA | 4.1 | Navarre or Speight |
RB | CJ Stokes | SC | 3.7 | SC hesitated, Hart didn’t, Stokes doesn't. |
WR | Tyler Morris | IL | 4.5 | Golden Tate smooth. |
WR | Tay'shawn Trent | MI | 4.0 | Big, leapy. TE/LB? |
TE | Colston Loveland | ID | 3.8 | Flex by own admission |
TE | Marlin Klein | GA | 3.7 | Grow-a-dude |
OT | Alessandro Lorenzetti | CT | 3.7 | Quebecois steal, if workouts are to be believed. |
OG | Connor Jones | CO | 3.5 | Puts water in the harbor. |
DEFENSE | ||||
Pos | Player | State | Stars | In a nutshell |
NT | Kenneth Grant | IN | 3.7 | Mammoth. |
DT | Mason Graham | CA | 3.7 | Wrestler, motor, late riser. |
EDGE | Micah Pollard | FL | 3.7 | Braylon nephew, Marcus son, Frank Clark clone. |
EDGE | Kevonte Henry | CA | 3.7 | Uche edgebacker. |
LB | Aaron Alexander | MI | 3.3 | Raw hybrid from Belleville. |
LB | Deuce Spurlock | AL | 3.5 | Grow-a-WILL. |
S | Damani Dent | FL | 3.5 | Rising cornerbackish safety. |
CB | Will Johnson | MI | 4.8 | Everything and tall. Deon's kid. |
CB | Kody Jones | TN | 4.0 | Nickel athlete, Walter Nolen's pal. |
CB | Myles Pollard | TN | 3.8 | Stribling. Loved you on Colson’s film! |
October 19th, 2021 at 1:30 PM ^
A DT who wrestles is all I need to hear to get excited.
October 19th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
Mike Martin and Rob Renes come to mind.
October 20th, 2021 at 8:45 AM ^
Don't forget about Mark Messner
October 19th, 2021 at 2:48 PM ^
I also like DLs named Graham who wear #55.
October 19th, 2021 at 8:39 PM ^
Same. And with a motor. That's definitely a high floor kind of guy.
October 19th, 2021 at 1:42 PM ^
I say Kenneth Grant's "in a nutshell" should be changed to "Mastodon," just so we can work back in a reference to metal (and include their album artwork? is that legal?).
October 19th, 2021 at 1:43 PM ^
As a powerlifter I noticed something in his lift numbers. Prepare for some pseudoscience and speculation.
There are three powerlifts: bench, squat, deadlift. These almost always go 1-2-3 in terms of weight progression. You deadlift more than you squat more than you bench. And usually, you can guess what a person's other two PRs are based on one number -- assuming their strength has been trained and distributed evenly.
That's not quite the case here. A 300lb bench is quite rare, especially at Graham's age. According to Tim Henriques, author of All About Powerlifting, a 300lb bench correlates with a 550lb deadlift. Graham is 100lbs "behind" at 455. This is possibly related to his wrestling background.
What does this mean for football? Here's my speculation: You'd rather have disproportionate upper-body strength as a DL than an OL. Half of OL work is moving backwards, preventing pass rushes. Your strongest muscle needs to be your ass cheeks. On DL, you can get a lot of overpowering work done with your upper body -- ripping, swimming, spinning, etc. DL don't tackle like LBs and DBs, either.
Therefore I am hereby declaring that Mason Graham will be a better DL than OL.
October 19th, 2021 at 2:05 PM ^
Your strongest muscle needs to be your ass cheeks
Giving rise to a new MGoBlog metric for OL: OMG Pantsless
October 19th, 2021 at 2:56 PM ^
I'd upvote this twice if I could. Some actual information that's totally new to me despite decades of lifting, plus some sweet speculation with reasoning laid out so I can understand it.
Rob
ps - And one phrase I'm working hard to forget even now. :) :)
October 19th, 2021 at 2:59 PM ^
I wouldn't be so quick with this assessment...would like to see Graham's power clean number to get an important piece of data. Lots of sports programs train the power clean to a higher degree than the deadlift, and it's very arguably more applicable to sports anyway.
October 19th, 2021 at 3:00 PM ^
While I know this is somewhat tongue and cheek, I would put less credibility into HS player's lifting numbers than 40 times. Especially squat numbers, since a squat number is really only worth something with a depth standard, like at a powerlifting meet. These are also 17 year olds, so they generally have not been training long enough to fit into powerlifting lift comparison charts.
October 20th, 2021 at 9:37 AM ^
Also, linemen need fast-twitch muscle, which is weaker than slow twitch.
Way I see it, lifting numbers are like SATs for linemen. For all the whining from kids and helicopter parents, you need to at least hack the damn SATs if you're gonna survive in even a half-decent college. (If you think that's pressure, HS kids, think you can survive a college final?) But once you get to around 90th percentile, Admissions really ought to start looking at other stuff. Same here. Linemen need to be skrong, no excuses. So if a lineman can't lift worth a damn, he can't play worth a damn. But beyond a certain minimum (not that I know where that is), if he's not got twitch or technique, lift numbers are just marketing hype.
Back to Graham, that "other stuff" includes wrestling and effusive praise of his "motor", so that's a very good start.
October 19th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
When I hear DT that also wrestle, I think of Mike Martin....
And that is more than good enough for me.....
Welcome Mason!!!
October 19th, 2021 at 11:56 PM ^
Mike Martin never wrestled until his junior year of high school. Gets talked into joining the CC team by buddies and the coach, loses his first match by pin, then runs the table and doesn't lose another match with two state titles. Amazing!
October 19th, 2021 at 1:53 PM ^
Looks good. He also has the right number for his name. "Mason Graham" just sounds like a Michigan player, the same way "Donovan Edwards" does.
October 19th, 2021 at 2:37 PM ^
If Brandon Graham had a son, he would call him "my son."
Mason Graham is Brandon Graham's son confirmed.
October 19th, 2021 at 2:08 PM ^
He is very similar to AVS, but does not quite have his get-off from the line. AVS is a punk though. He violently tackles a 5'4" 120 pound kid, and stands over him flexing for 30 minutes. There definitely should not be this large a discrepancy between the 2 in ranking though. I would expect Mason Graham to get to 200-300 in the rankings. He looks solid.
October 19th, 2021 at 3:44 PM ^
Sorry, Alex VanSumeran
October 19th, 2021 at 3:50 PM ^
Thanks!
And I agree with your assessment of his "character".
Will fit in well in East Landfill.
October 19th, 2021 at 2:40 PM ^
remain on the periphery for TN 5* Walter Nolen but that would take getting a lot more serious about “NIL” and isn’t likely to happen.
Why is this? How does UM not have an NIL co-ordinator to help these kids sell Jerseys (Big Dickinson energy anyone?), etc. Are they not allowed to? Michigan has a huge alumni/fanbase that should make NIL a reason to come to us, not a score against us.
October 19th, 2021 at 2:49 PM ^
NTKNIL (not that kinda NIL)
I took the implication to be here that other schools who are more comfortable with pre-NIL bag tactics lead the pack here. That doesn’t mean Michigan doesn’t need to NIL harder, but Sam Webb interviewed Nolen’s dad and he said our NIL offer was as good or better than anyone else’s. It’s the “NIL” where we are lacking
October 19th, 2021 at 2:50 PM ^
I like this kid. Tearing it up against good high school competition is meaningful, and wrestlers tend to have an edge playing DL. He's probably not quick enough to become a routine impact pass rusher from an interior DL spot, but in MacDonald's system, he doesn't have to be. Just eat blocks and muck up those gaps, young man
October 19th, 2021 at 2:52 PM ^
"whipping past guys Graham Glasgow-style"
I assume you mean RYAN Glasgow?
October 19th, 2021 at 5:31 PM ^
Definite wasn't CYAN Glasgow, if defensive UFRs of yore have taught us anything.
October 19th, 2021 at 7:26 PM ^
I read to the end of the comments to see if anyone else pointed this mis-Glasgowing out before I jumped in with a correction.
It took reading 20 posts debating power lifting before I found you caup!
How could so many just read right through that without noticing? Maybe if it said Jordan they'd have noticed?
October 20th, 2021 at 8:04 AM ^
wtf I could have sworn I caught that in a copyedit. I think there's something broken in our new post scheduler, where it posts the version that was scheduled, not the latest version.
October 19th, 2021 at 2:59 PM ^
So what the opposing coach is basically saying is that he's a super freak. He's super freaky. Yow.
October 19th, 2021 at 3:38 PM ^
We are seeing this year you need a couple of "freaky" OL's plus some steady performers and good substitutes to have a good overall line. More bodies leads to more flexibility than we have had in the past.
October 19th, 2021 at 3:37 PM ^
Getting into the Trinity League always seems a good idea… now we just need the Mater Dei guy
October 19th, 2021 at 4:52 PM ^
Maybe we should start a Courtney Morgan appreciation thread?
Dude is killing it, not only with what he has brought in but what he still has out there.
Zeke Berry, Justyn Martin and Josh Conerly are all on Morgan's radar.
Like with Mason Graham, he seems to recognize talent before everyone else.
October 19th, 2021 at 9:22 PM ^
I know he is 18 or younger but a kid who is 6'6 300lbs and loves the weight room should be benching more than 300 and a 455 deadlift is pretty light
October 19th, 2021 at 9:56 PM ^
Hey Seth, I thought Nolan’s dad said Michigan’s NIL pitch was a strength?
October 20th, 2021 at 8:07 AM ^
"NIL"
Tennessee is throwing money around like Georgia and Michigan for whatever reason wants their NIL endorsements to all pass an IRS audit.
October 20th, 2021 at 3:10 PM ^
Now a 91 and #213 for 247
October 20th, 2021 at 4:47 PM ^
DJ Dhoemate (USC)
Sadly, I'm guessing this is a typo and not a joke about DJ Shoemate making boneheaded mistakes while yelling D'Oh!
October 21st, 2021 at 2:37 AM ^
Is he wearing a blue home jersey with white road pants?
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