CLEVELAND, Ohio — With the NFL Draft just days away, a fascinating debate has emerged on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast: Should the Cleveland Browns use the second overall pick on a defensive tackle? While conventional wisdom has cornerback Travis Hunter as the likely selection, Lance Reisland made a passionate case for Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham as the true game-changer the Browns should target.

“Mason Graham for me is the guy and here’s why,” Reisland emphatically stated on the podcast. “When you look at defensive tackles as an offensive coordinator, defensive tackles who are elite in terms of their movement skills are so hard to block and there are very few guys who for me fit kind of the category that Mason Graham enters in terms of his ability to move.”

What makes Graham special in Reisland’s eyes isn’t just his substantial 320-pound frame, but his rare combination of size and movement skills. Reisland described him as “a three down guy” who can both anchor against the run and provide interior pass rush — something the Browns desperately need since losing Dalvin Tomlinson.

“At 320 pounds, he has elite movement skills,” Reisland continued. “Now the reason I’m a little bit biased, because as a coach I absolutely loved coaching wrestlers and when you read about Mason Graham, he’s a state champ wrestler. So those guys have elite balance, they have elite hand skills and more than anything else, if you’re a wrestler, they are the toughest humans on the planet those wrestlers.”

While edge rushers like Abdul Carter might offer flashier sack numbers, Reisland argued that a dominant interior presence creates problems that are nearly impossible for offenses to scheme around. “The thing about a defensive tackle is it’s hard to even create a plan for him because you have to change how you block things,” Reisland explained. “You have to change your double teams.”

Tim Bielik acknowledged Graham’s talents but raised the positional value concern that most draft analysts cite.

“Defensive tackle, obviously, unfortunately for Mason Graham, not a premium position. And there’s really nothing, for lack of a better term, sexy about Mason’s Graham’s game,” Bielik said.

However, Bielik did compare Graham to elite defensive tackles like Jalen Carter from the 2023 draft, noting: “If you’re an elite player at a non-premium position, you could still be elite and have impact. So I think Mason Graham is going to be really good.”

The debate highlights a growing question in NFL circles: Has the league undervalued interior defensive linemen? While edge rushers and cornerbacks typically command higher draft capital, game-wrecking defensive tackles like Aaron Donald have proven that interior disruption can be the foundation of an elite defense.

For the Browns, who already have a premier edge rusher in Myles Garrett, adding Graham could create a devastating one-two punch that would force opposing offenses to pick their poison. As Reisland argued, “There’s no one harder to block than a three down defensive tackle who can move.”

If the Browns do consider Graham at pick No. 2, they’d be bucking conventional wisdom — but they might also be ahead of the curve in recognizing the true value of an elite interior defender.

To hear the full passionate debate, including more detailed analysis of Graham’s skill set and how he compares to other defensive prospects, check out the full Orange and Brown Talk podcast episode.