(670 The Score) Bears general manager Ryan Poles believes the strength of 2025 NFL Draft class matches his team's positional needs well. Notably, the class has a handful of offensive linemen and edge rushers who are considered top-10 talents.
Those are two positions of need for the Bears, but there's also a scenario in which they deviate from addressing one of those two positions with the No. 10 overall pick. That would be if Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is still available. If that's the case, the Bears should quickly turn their card in with his name on it.
Graham wouldn't directly address the Bears' biggest needs, but he'd be the best player available if he falls to No. 10 overall. He would also give the Bears the disruptive three-technique defensive lynchpin that the unit has needed.
“I pride myself on playing the run and the pass, because I feel like that’s what a complete D-lineman does,” Graham said at the NFL Combine. “But obviously, rushing the passer, I feel I’m really good at too. I can run through guys or be a finesse guy too at the same time.
“I affect every snap, run or pass. I feel like I’m a dominant player – one of the most dominant players of this class.”
Graham was a unanimous All-American in 2024 and a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. He was also a key member of Michigan’s national championship-winning team in 2023. He had nine career sacks in college and established a reputation for wrecking plays.
NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah noticed Graham’s underwhelming 6-foot-3, 296-pound frame before Michigan’s game against Oregon in November. Jeremiah was concerned about Graham's size at first glance. That all changed once the game began.
“He’s just really, really good,” Jeremiah said. “So, I hope people don’t overthink it with him as we get to the spring and kind of the further we get away from football. But he’s got crazy elite leverage, balance and instincts. You can see there’s a wrestling background there. He’s just never on the ground. He gets underneath guys.
“When I was looking on my notes, I had ‘block destruction’ written down so many different times. He’s just a really aggressive player who’s got instincts and can dominate the game against the run and, I think, has more to offer as a pass rusher.”
Many early mock drafts have Graham being selected before the Bears are on the clock with the 10th selection. It seems likely that he isn't available for Chicago, but as Jeremiah noted, teams can become enamored with measurables over game tape.
If Graham does fall, he'd have something to prove in Chicago.
“I’m all about business,” Graham said. “Nobody is really concerned about that. I’m not a mysterious guy. You don’t need to look deep into me to find out about me.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.