There is another talented wave of Michigan Wolverines joining the NFL in 2025 after the post-National Championship surge in 2024. Naturally, each Michigan prospect has some sort of tie to the LA Chargers, thanks to head coach Jim Harbaugh.
While Colston Loveland has emerged as a dream draft target for the Bolts this year, other Michigan prospects are simply too good for the Bolts to even dream about. Mason Graham checks that box, as the dominating defensive tackle is one of the best prospects in the draft and is not falling outside the top 10.
The Chargers may be out of range to consider Graham in the 2025 NFL Draft but a division rival is not. The Las Vegas Raiders own the seventh-overall pick in the draft, which is important context considering Graham was openly touting the Raiders organization at the NFL Combine.
Michigan DT Mason Graham confirmed he’s met with the #Raiders at the NFL Combine.
— Levi Edwards (@theleviedwards) February 26, 2025
“They’re a great organization. Pete Carroll is a cool guy, a player’s coach.”
Graham was an unanimous All-American and 2023 national champion in his time with the Wolverines. pic.twitter.com/7tXLgDHM0K
Mason Graham flirts with Raiders at NFL Combine much to the chagrin of Jim Harbaugh, Chargers
Harbaugh and Raiders head coach Pete Carroll have an extensive rivalry that dates back to their days at Stanford and USC, respectively. While Harbaugh undoubtedly has respect for Carroll, it had to sting some hearing one of his former players lauding Carroll in this manner.
Just because Graham said good things about the Raiders does not mean he is guaranteed to be Vegas-bound. Opposing GMs do not care if Graham was complimentary of the Raiders and will still take him in the draft before the seventh pick if they want to.
However, with the way the draft board is lining up, there is a world in which Graham falls to the seventh pick as one of the most talented players in the draft. We see this every year: positional value trumps overall talent and someone in the top-10 falls more than they should.
Graham very well could be that prospect this year and the Raiders could be the team that benefits. Defensive tackle does not have the highest positional value in the draft and with several quarterback-needy teams, Graham falling to seven is not far-fetched at all.
This would be annoying for the LA Chargers on a multitude of levels. Not only would it be annoying for Harbaugh to see his rival paired with one of his most-talented former players, but Graham on the Raiders would create a legitimate headache of a matchup.
Vegas will still be at the bottom of the AFC West because of the quarterback situation and lack of offensive talent outside of Brock Bowers but that defensive line would be menacing. Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, Mason Graham and Tyree Wilson would create one of the most dynamic front fours in the league.
And as we all saw in Super Bowl 59, having a deep, talented defensive line can carry a team. It won't carry the Raiders to a playoff berth in 2025, but it would make them a hard team to beat, especially for an LA Chargers team with interior offensive line problems.