For all the angst and hand-wringing going on around Browns rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders–the team’s third- and fifth-round picks from last April, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the rest of the Cleveland rookie class has held up quite nicely so far. Perhaps they’d trade it all in for a franchise quarterback, but the fact is, starting with rookie first-rounder Mason Graham, there has been ample production from the first-year players.
Graham has started all nine games for the Browns, and has logged 20 tackles, three for a loss, while batting down three passes.
In Week 10 against the Jets, Graham logged, according to Pro Football Focus, his best game yet as a pass-rusher, notching a grade of 88.7 on the week. For a Browns team that has seen little go right here in 2025, Graham–and the non-quarterback rookies in general–are the rare exceptions.
Mason Graham Top Rookie DL
By PFF’s metrics, Graham is the highest-rated rookie defensive lineman in the league, with an overall grade of 65.9, which ranks 37th out of 125 graded DLs. He has been steadily improving, logging a 79.1 grade in the win over Miami back in Week 7 before slipping against the Patriots. His overall grade on Sunday in New York was 82.1
Writes PFF: “Graham earned the highest PFF overall grade of his young career, thanks in large part to his production as a pass rusher against the Jets. He recorded three pressures and another pass-rush win across just 14 reps, which led to his team-high 88.7 PFF pass-rush grade. His work in the run game was also commendable, as he tallied three run stops in the fourth quarter.”
Browns Coach Defended Mason Graham
There has been some criticism for Graham because he does not put up the sack numbers that some of his star teammates do, but the PFF numbers tend to tell a better story–there is more to playing the position well than sacks. Graham has 0.5 sacks this season.
Line coach Jacques Cesaire said of Graham: “The thing I love about Mason, he does not care what anybody outside of this building says about him. He does his own thing as far as just does his job. And he does his job extremely well. You know that guy plays the run extremely well, uses his hands well, sheds blocks, is instinctual.”
GettyDefensive line coach Jacques Cesaire defended rookie Mason Graham earlier this season.
Sacks Will Come for Browns
Cesaire pointed out that sacks are not always the best metric for a lineman, and as long as Graham keeps playing the way he has been playing, the numbers will come.
“Mason is doing just fine. I love where his head is at. I love the way that he works every single day diligently. Probably one of the toughest rookies I’ve ever been around. And he’s going to have a great career moving forward, you know, and those things, and I’m sure you guys have heard this.
“Sacks come in bunches. And I know his are going to start coming pretty soon because he is winning, he’s getting pressure, he’s doing everything that we ask him to do. And I know that those numbers will pop up. But to be honest, he doesn’t care what, you know, anybody’s saying or anything like that, or about stats or anything like that.”
Mason Graham Leading Top Browns Rookies
Beyond Graham, of course, the Browns have one of the most productive rookies on the defensive side of the ball in linebacker Carson Schwesinger, a second-round pick. They also have the best rookie running back to date, fellow second-round pick Quinshon Judkins.
When ESPN rated the Top 10 rookies in the NFL last month, Schwesinger was No. 6 and Judkins was No. 9.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr, with 42 catches and 396 yards (both team highs), represents the future of that position for the Browns. He was chosen in the third round.
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