Browns Coach Reveals 'Growing Pains' for First-Round Draft Pick
The Cleveland Browns selected Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Mason Graham with the No. 5 overall pick this year after trading down from No. 2 with Jacksonville.
Advertisement
In doing so, Cleveland passed on the opportunity to add wideout/cornerback Travis Hunter to the roster. That's a huge gamble, and the pro careers of both Graham and Hunter will forever be compared by Browns fans.
As a top-five pick, Graham is expected to contribute immediately in the league, but is that realistic?
Cleveland defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz discussed Graham's early work in the offseason and noted some potential growing pains.
"I do think there's a lot of meat on the bone as far as his production, and we can see better production from him than even we saw, and he had outstanding production in college," Schwartz said.
Advertisement
"It's been an adjustment for him. We're a penetrating team that places a big emphasis on defensive linemen being able to make plays. So there have been some growing pains. He's pretty far ahead right now."
Graham is expected to start in the middle of the defensive line that also includes long-time standout Myles Garrett, and Garrett noted Graham's willingness to learn.
"I think he's hungry," Garrett said. "He's been pretty quiet, but I see him watching a lot. I see him learning, and he's just really inquisitive, staying near to make sure that he hears every detail and just picking up on things."
When the Browns drafted Graham, general manager Andrew Berry said he fits in with the Browns perfectly.
Advertisement
"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.
If that's the case, Graham should be a serious contributor early in the season.
Related: Insider Expects Nick Chubb to Return to Browns for One Reason
Related: Browns Rookie Fights Through 'Puke and All' to Finish Mandatory Minicamp Strong
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and ceremony: What to know and how to watch
Thursday will mark 173 days since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. It's been a long wait but an NFL game is finally set to be played when the Detroit Lions take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The intensity of an extra preseason game is a far cry from the Super Bowl but it sets the table for a special weekend in which a new Pro Football Hall of Fame class gets enshrined. It's also a reminder that the regular season is just around the corner. Advertisement This year's game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium is the first to be played in July since the New England Patriots took on the San Francisco 49ers on July 31, 2000. That game 25 years ago was the NFL debut of Tom Brady, who was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round a few months prior. The Hall of Fame Game typically doesn't involve many key pieces from either side but the Chargers have announced that Trey Lance will start at quarterback. The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft signed with the Chargers in April after beginning his career in San Francisco and spending the past two seasons in Dallas. The 2024 Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans was called late in the third quarter due to inclement weather. The same thing happened in 1980 and 2003. Since 1962, the game has been canceled only three times: in 2011 (lockout), 2016 (bad field conditions) and 2020 (pandemic). Thursday's game serves more as the welcome mat for what the weekend is really about, which is the enshrinement of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year's class features Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and Sterling Sharpe. It's the smallest class since the Class of 2005, which was also a four-man group. The new members receive their gold jacket at dinner Friday, the evening before the big ceremony. Saturday afternoon will feature the main event, when the four former players will take the stage, unveil their Hall of Fame busts and give speeches. Game: NBC and Peacock. Broadcasters: Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (color). HOF ceremony: Fox and NFL Network.
Indianapolis Star
a minute ago
- Indianapolis Star
Heard of Austin Ajiake? Why he may be the key to the Colts' little-known linebacking crew
Can Jaylon Carlies stay healthy enough to fill one of the Colts' linebacker roles? If he can't, who will? Joe Bachie came to the Colts from Cincinnati with new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo Undrafted Austin Ajiake has made a splash day seemingly everyday in training camp WESTFIELD, Ind. — The only proven linebacker on the Indianapolis Colts roster remains sidelined. Middle linebacker Zaire Franklin has sat out the first six practices of training camp, still recovering from offseason surgery to clean up his left ankle. On the one hand, new Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo would love to have his leader on the field, growing in the new scheme with the rest of the defense. On the other hand, Franklin's absence has given Anarumo and linebackers coach James Bettcher a long look at the unheralded group of linebackers the Colts have assembled to play alongside and behind Franklin this season. 'It has allowed the competition in the group to be high,' Bettcher said. 'There's a lot of different two guys together. It's all intentional.' The Colts have rotated a group of four different linebackers with the starters in the first week of training camp, a group that includes Jaylon Carlies, the odds-on favorite to start on the weak side, the other starting spot in a defense that will typically play just two linebackers. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Carlies was a college safety whose size convinced the Colts to draft him in the fifth round as a linebacker and he made 36 tackles, a sack with a pass breakup last season. Because of his range and length, Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard is high on Carlies's potential to develop into an impact cover linebacker in the NFL, a critical role against today's spread-out, pass-happy offenses. The Missouri product still has to earn his place. Carlies underwent offseason surgery to repair his shoulder, and because of the missed time, Carlies has shared the weak-side job through the first week of training camp. The athleticism is obvious. No linebacker on the Indianapolis roster closes in the open field like Carlies. 'Some of that is the elite length that he has, some of that is that he's been a space player most of his life and some of that is the guy loves ball,' Bettcher said. "You see that when you watch him play.' But Carlies is still raw as a linebacker, even though he's played more defensive snaps in the NFL (242) than any of the other, older linebackers competing for a roster spot. Carlies has shared snaps on the weak side at times with Lawrence Central product Cameron McGrone, who has played special teams for Indianapolis for three seasons, although he's taken just eight snaps on defense. McGrone has grown as a linebacker this offseason, according to Bettcher, although he may be dealing with a setback now. McGrone sat out Tuesday's practice due to a quadriceps injury, and any missed time in an open competition opens a door. Indianapolis could also turn to veteran linebacker Joe Bachie, the player who knows Anarumo's scheme best. Bachie spent four of his five seasons in the NFL playing in Anarumo's system in Cincinnati, and even though he's played just 238 career snaps defensively, he has the coordinator's trust. 'Joe has played some meaningful snaps for us in the past in Cincinnati, won some big games for us,' Anarumo said. 'He can plug and play at a number of different positions. It doesn't have to be MIKE. It could be the WILL backer for us, the backer of the dime sub, so we'll find a role for Joe.' Bachie has spent most of the time in his middle, displaying a knack for breaking up throws over the middle and serving as a leader for the defense. 'If you go back to Cincy, opportunities where we needed him to go in and start … Joe performed, and he performed at a starting linebacker level,' Bettcher said. 'He's been disruptive, he's been an elite communicator. Joe is very smart.' Bachie might be a worthy successor to the role Grant Stuard played for the Colts before leaving for Detroit in free agency. Stuard spent most of his time on special teams, but he could play defense in a pinch; Stuard came up with 18 tackles in a spot start against Miami last offseason. Then there's the dark horse. Bachie has shared time in the middle with Austin Ajiake, an undrafted free agent from UNLV who has spent the past two seasons fighting for a place in the NFL. Ajiake bounced around as a rookie, landed a spot with the Colts and stuck on the practice squad all season. Ajiake has made his fair share of plays on the practice field, too, announcing his presence with a leaping deflection on the first day of training camp and following it up with a splash play seemingly on every day. 'Austin has elevated his game,' Bettcher said. 'His trajectory and arrow is up. … The one he's impressed me with is his ability to take things from the classroom to the field.' The tests will get more difficult in the coming weeks. Indianapolis is less than a week away from a joint practice and a preseason opener in Baltimore, followed by another joint practice and a preseason game at home against Green Bay. Any linebacker fighting for a roster spot and a role on the defense will have to prove himself in the preseason, not only on defense but on special teams. At some point, the Colts expect Franklin to be back. Franklin's coverage numbers have never been top of the line, but he is a prolific tackler in the middle of the Indianapolis defense, racking up 167, 173 and 179 tackles the last three seasons and earning a Pro Bowl berth for the first time a year ago. 'He's got a great football mind, just as we sit and talk,' Anarumo said. 'Another veteran guy that's been around, but just seeing how he approaches things, I'm not worried about where he'll be at mentally.' The Colts are counting on Franklin to be the rock of the linebacking corps. And they're hoping the rest of the position continues to surprise.
Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Hall of Fame returner Devin Hester says he would've been 'first-ballot' with new NFL kickoff rules
Devin Hester earned himself a gold Pro Football Hall of Fame jacket in a way no player ever has by primarily serving as a kick returner. Hester holds the NFL record for most career combined kick return touchdowns (20) and punt return touchdowns (14). No other player has run back more than four punt returns in a single season, which Hester did in 2007. So, when it comes to the league's new kickoff rules, which have been heavily debated since their installment last season, Hester is someone whose opinion carries weight. "I like the new kickoff rules," he told Fox News Digital after leading service members through USAA's Salute to Service NFL Boot Camp at the Chicago Bears' complex this week. "I like them because I feel it gives the returner an opportunity to get his hands on the ball, and it also penalizes the kicking team. For me, it's almost like you're trying to find a way to bring the return game back where it used to be." The Dynamic Kickoff Rule was seen throughout last season, and it's back in 2025. The goal is to increase the number of kickoff returns by making them look more like scrimmage plays than kick returns. For those unaware of the rule, the setup has completely changed from traditional kickoffs. The kicking team lines up on the receiving team's 40-yard line, while the receiving team has a "setup zone" between the 30- and 35-yard lines. The league has a "landing zone" between the 20-yard line and the receiving team's goal line, and kicks landing there must be returned. And Hester enjoys seeing that players on both sides are not allowed to move until the return man touches the ball or the ball hits the turf in the landing zone. "The lineup and how they have [players] 10 yards apart from each other, it's something a lot of people have to get used to. Pretty much everybody in the league has to get used to it. I would love to be in that situation where I have guys 10 yards apart, and they can't move until I touch the ball," Hester explained. "As a returner, you find one hole, and you hit it. And there's nobody else out there. I would love to play in this type of era and this type of return game." Hester may be in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, but he is envious players get this new kickoff rule. "I would've been a first-ballot [Hall of Famer], no question, with these new rules, man," Hester said, laughing. "But, hey, it is what it is. I'm happy I made the Hall of Fame. For me, my return game got shot away because of the new rule and being able to kick the ball out of bounds and kicking touchbacks. Being able to have the opportunity, you didn't even have to have a strong leg because they moved the ball up so far. You could have a decent leg and still kick touchbacks." When Hester played, touchbacks went to the 20-yard line, which seemed like a no-brainer when facing him if the kicker had the leg to boot it out of the end zone. That moved to the 25-yard line in 2018, and the new kickoff rule has touchbacks starting at the 30-yard line. In 2025, touchbacks on kickoffs will go to the 35-yard line, making it even more imperative for kickers to get that ball in the landing zone. "It limited me, but now they're forced to kick it. I salute them," Hester said of the league. "I'm glad they changed the rules because it gives guys the opportunity to get their hands on the ball." SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE US In Chicago, Hester took the field after the Bears had their latest training camp practice to put service members through a real-life combine thanks to USAA, the official Salute to Service partner of the NFL. These boot camps feature drills similar to those used by NFL coaches to evaluate talent at the NFL Scouting Combine, including the 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone shuttle and more. These boot camps have been in place for years, but they now feature a live leaderboard to capture and monitor participants' scores in real time, which Hester said added competitiveness. "It was very exciting, and it was a unique situation being among these guys and seeing them have fun. At the end of the day, they all had fun and competed. So, it was a great cause for today," Hester said of the experience. "I can relate to them because I have a couple cousins that are my age that were in these types of services. Just to pick those guys' brains, their daily routine, and it's similar to the stories my family members told me. Of course, my family members were true football fans, too, so they had the opportunity to pick my brain as well when it comes to football. We were just back and forth giving conversation, giving tips on daily routines and having a great time out there."
