Mason Graham will not participate in any on-field drills at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine due to a left heel bruise, per the NFL Network. Graham will wait until his pro day on March 21.
The Michigan defensive lineman is still in Indianapolis and is expected to participate in the bench press portion of the Combine.
The interior defensive lineman is considered to be one of, if not the best defensive lineman in the entire 2025 class. His ability to disrupt running backs in the backfield and make quarterbacks uncomfortable by applying pressure from the middle of the offensive line makes him a potential top-10 draft pick in April.
Graham deciding not to participate in the Combine, even though he’s present for the workout in Indianapolis, will impact the New York Jets. Gang Green struggled against the run a season ago, ranking in the middle of the pack of all NFL teams in rushing yards allowed per game (121.1).
The Jets ranked No. 27 in rushing touchdowns allowed per game at 1.3, which Graham could help prevent. If selected by the Jets, Graham would join a defensive line that features All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, Pro Bowl edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, after he returns from his torn Achilles, and young, talented edge rusher in Will McDonald IV.
It would have been helpful for New York to see how Graham performs amongst his peers, but they’ll have to wait for March 21.
“I spoke with Mason Graham off to the side after he spoke to the media and I asked him if he met with Aaron Glenn and the Jets and he said, ‘I did,’” Jets reporter Caroline Hendershot said. “He thought it went really well, he really liked [head coach Aaron Glenn] and he said of course be a Michigan man…he watched [Glenn] a lot and is kind of just a big fan of his and the product that he was able to put out on the field.”
Hendershot asked Graham what it would be like to play in the Jets defense: “Playing next to a guy like Quinnen Williams…it would only make me better, so I would only hope that the more I would get to play next to him, the better I would get.”
If Graham slides outside of the top five, he might end up playing next to Williams in green and white.
