Mason Graham Only Participating in Bench Press at NFL Combine; B/R's No. 3 Prospect

Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham has decided against doing a full allotment of drills at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week.

Graham's agent, Ryan Matha, informed NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Thursday that Graham will only participate in the bench press. However, he will do a full workout at his pro day.

The BR NFL Scouting Department ranked Graham as the No. 3 overall player in the 2025 NFL draft as part of its latest big board released earlier this month.

Another Michigan defensive tackle, Kenneth Grant, will not participate in any on-field drills at the combine either after medical evaluations determined he is dealing with a strained hamstring, per Rapoport.

Grant, who is the No. 36 overall player on the BR NFL Scouting Department's big board, is expected to be good to go for Michigan's pro day on March 21.

Graham, 21, was a force during his three seasons at Michigan, racking up 108 tackles, nine sacks and 18 tackles for loss.

In 2023, Graham was part of a dominant Wolverines defense that helped the team go undefeated and win the national championship. He finished the campaign with 36 tackles, three sacks and a career-high eight tackles for loss.

The 6'3", 320-pounder followed that up with a career-high 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks to go along with seven tackles for loss last season.

Graham was also a unanimous All-American last season, and he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team in both 2023 and 2024.

After the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs defensively in Super Bowl LIX, particularly thanks to their interior pass rush from Jalen Carter and Milton Williams, it is easy to envision teams making players like Graham a priority.

While Graham didn't put up huge sack numbers in college, he is an incredibly strong player capable of pushing guards deep into the pocket and blowing up running plays.

The BR NFL Scouting Department has only Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter ahead of Graham in the overall rankings for the 2025 draft, which suggests he has a strong chance to be a top-five pick.

In its latest mock draft, the BR NFL Scouting Department had Graham falling to the Carolina Panthers at No. 8 overall, which could prove to be a huge steal, although teams like the New England Patriots at No. 4 and Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5 feel like potential landing spots for him.

As for Grant, the 6'3", 339-pound tackle has the makings of a borderline, late first-round pick who could possibly fall to the second depending on team needs.