Three Michigan Wolverines were picked in the first round of last week’s NFL Draft. We take a deep dive into what their new fans should expect from them as rookies:
The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone, and three Michigan Wolverines were selected in the first round. Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, and Kenneth Grant were all top-15 picks, going to the Cleveland Browns , Chicago Bears , and Miami Dolphins , respectively.
Expectations for first-rounders will always be high, but we’ve tried to set the stage for what each of their rookie campaigns might bring.
Cleveland Browns: DT Mason Graham
The Cleveland Browns traded back three spots and landed Graham, arguably the best player on the Wolverines’ defense the last two years. Playing alongside some talented edge rushers in Ann Arbor, Graham now gets to line up next up against the best on the planet — Myles Garrett.
Graham was a menace at Michigan, with 6.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss the last two years. He shared what the Browns expect of him after being drafted.
“(Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz) been talking about taking the handcuffs off me,” Graham said. “I’m used to playing blocks, but now it’s getting off the ball and (doing) more attacking, causing negative plays for the offense. I feel like I can fit right into the scheme.”
Graham will most certainly be starting for the Browns from Day 1, assisting an interior defensive line room that has room for improvement. Schwartz will likely expect him to be an anchor for a run defense that finished in the bottom half of the league in 2024. Graham and Garrett could foster one of the better defensive line duos in football if all goes according to plan.
Chicago Bears: TE Colston Loveland
Head coach Ben Johnson has given second-year quarterback Caleb Williams a plethora of weapons, including Loveland at No. 10 overall. Then in the second round, they picked Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.
The two of them join 2024 top-10 pick wide receiver Rome Odunze, wide receiver DJ. Moore, tight end Cole Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift. That leaves plenty of mouths to feed. At the same time, Johnson will likely have one of the most pass-friendly offenses in the league.
As a rookie tight end in Detroit’s offense under Johnson, Sam LaPorta had 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. While that would be a tall task for Loveland this year, it does show what a ceiling could be for Loveland if he forms a good rapport with Williams.
More realistically, Loveland could be in line for a 50-60-catch season with somewhere between 600-800 yards. If that’s where he finishes, it would be really difficult for Bears fans to be upset with that kind of production.
Miami Dolphins: Kenneth Grant
Grant’s high draft investment will certainly be appreciated, as the Dolphins need more help defensively to stay competitive in the AFC East. They’ll want him to hold the point of the attack and slow down running backs and mobile quarterbacks that the Dolphins see often.
Daniel Jeremiah had an interesting comparison for Grant: “When you watch (Grant) and think about Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator, who played for the Baltimore Ravens with Haloti Ngata — he’s got his Haloti Ngata.”
While there is a long way to go for Grant to be a five-time All-Pro like Ngata, the Dolphins will assuredly have high expectations for him. It’s tough to say how much he’ll play vs. being a rotational piece, but the draft capital suggests it’ll be on a nearly every down basis. If that’s the case, a couple tackles for loss and sacks with a few swats at the line of scrimmage would leave Miami fans happy.