Often, players who are taken in the same draft are compared throughout their careers. But it's not typically a defensive tackle and wideout/corner.
That's the case with the Cleveland Browns' first-round draft pick, Mason Graham, and the Jacksonville Jaguars' top pick, Travis Hunter.
On draft day, the Browns traded the No. 2 pick to the Jags for the No. 5 pick and other capital. It was a big risk unless Graham turned into the beast Cleveland brass thought he could. Meanwhile, in Jacksonville, all eyes will be on Hunter to see if he can be the two-way player in the NFL that he was in college.
Early in the offseason, Graham is already impressing.
During Tuesday's voluntary OTAs, Graham was the disruptive force that the Browns hope he is in the regular season, batting a Dillon Gabriel pass into the air for an interception.
After practice, head coach Kevin Stefanski had good things to say about Graham.
“Really working extremely hard,” Stefanski said. “In the weight room, I see him here putting extra work in.”
General manager Andrew Berry explained why the team liked Graham as a top-five pick back during the draft.
"He is a DNA match for our defense, a disruptive interior penetrator ... we thought he was one of the more dominant trench prospects in this year's class," Berry said.
Graham might not be the Week 1 starter, especially since the team signed Maliek Collins this offseason and Mike Hall is returning from injury. Shelby Harris is still in the roster mix, too.
But there's no question he'll be part of the rotation early. Berry prefers a six-to-eight-man rotation, so there's plenty of room for Graham to get playing time early in the season.
