Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (4.24.25)
Can you talk about the trade down?
“That’s a big trade for this organization and what we’re able to get back and the picks that you’re able to get back. It can set you up and we still got a really good player that we all are excited about adding to our team on top of what we have. So, it’s exciting for us. Obviously, till it’s done, it’s not done. So, we got on the clock and consummated the trade, but we are excited to add Mason (Graham) to this team and excited to add some picks as well.”
How difficult is it to pass on a player so dominant like a Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter?
“I think when you look at the top of these drafts, there’s a lot of players that we like. You like all of them, so I understand that. You pick fifth and you’re fifth in order, but we’re thrilled with Mason Graham. Thrilled.”
You could have some explosive guys on offense with that pick. What are you going to do to be more productive next year?
“Yeah, we’re working on that right now. Just as we get our veterans back in here and we’re starting down the path of putting this system together, and Tommy (Rees) is doing a great job with the coaches. We’ll add some players throughout this draft potentially. So, we’re excited about the group that we’ll be able to put together.”
So, do you think with the players that you have and two different quarterbacks, is that in itself going to make you guys better?
“Yeah, the goal is to improve, certainly and we have a lot of work to do and room to improve. But I’m very confident in the group we have.”
What do you like most about Mason and how will he fit in this defense?
“Yeah, he’s a perfect fit. Just the way his skill set, the way he gets off the ball, and the way he’s able to disrupt is exactly what we do. Now, he did that sometimes, maybe not all the time as are some two gapping in Michigan’s system, but you saw plenty of times that when he goes, he goes. He has great balance, great ability to be disruptive, and make plays in the run game and in the pass game. Those interior rushers are really valuable in this scheme.”
In terms of their schemes, when a team is running a scheme like Michigan, how much of an adjustment, is there?
“Yeah, it happens all the time. It happens in free agency. It happens in the draft. Wink (Don Martindale) does a great job and I have a ton of respect for Coach (Don) Martindale and what he does there. So, it’s not like it’s a completely foreign thing than what they do. They do a little bit of both, I would say. But there’ve been countless examples of guys in free agency that are five-year veterans that come into an attack scheme from a two gapping scheme. So, you work at it like anything else. And it’d be the same really if you went vice versa.
You passed up on not just Travis, but Abdul. Fans will look at that as giving up the opportunity to add at least one blue chip type of talent that can be transformational. When you watch Mason on tape, I know Andrew (Berry) said he fits your defensive DNA with what Jim Schwartz asked for. You’re playing against guys like Lamar (Jackson) and Joe Burrow twice a year. When you watch him on tape, what is it that you see in him that kind of gives you that same feeling that he can have the same transformational impact for you?
“The fit piece of this, Daryl (Ruiter), in terms of the skill set in our scheme, but also the production is there. This is not a guy that’s been doing it for one game or one season. He’s been doing it for a long time and has been productive in his career. I think what you see from this player has been consistent and he is a guy that is constantly disrupting the offense. Obviously in the run game, he is able to defeat blocks and make plays down the line, while using his speed for such a big man. In the pass game, being disruptive, beating guards. We’ve talked a lot about it with Myles (Garrett) on our team, there’s opportunities to rush on guards when your defensive tackle is…with the center potentially going away. It’s a true one on one and it’s the nearest point to the quarterback and I just feel really strong about his skill set and I feel really strong about the person. I just think he fits who we are.”
With Mason, it just seems like everyone always brings up the wrestling background and the leverage and things like that. Like how much does that just pop on his film and how unique does that make him in the scheme of this D-line class?
“Yeah, as coaches you love when guys near the ball have that background because you’re so often having to work through contact and stay balanced. So, I do think there’s a very advantageous part of being on that wrestling mat and then taking it to the football field because you know how to lean, you know how to get one leg and transfer power to the other. So, I think that’s a really big part of it and something he’s used, you can see it on tape, him using that background.”
With you guys not having a first-round pick in the last three years, did that make it all the more appealing to pick up another one in this deal?
“I think it’s a strong deal. We felt good about the deal from a compensation standpoint, what’s going in, what’s going out. I feel like it’s good for both teams but obviously those picks, certainly the pick next year and having multiple first round picks is a big deal.”
With Mason (Graham), what kind of pre-draft interactions did you have personally with him and was there anything memorable about any of it?
“I met with him at the combine in the quick speed dating portion of the combine. Brought him in here for a top 30 visit and I really liked everything about him and just what he brings to the building. He’s got a nastiness to him. He can play defensive line, particularly in our front. He has to have a little bit of an edge, and he’s got a big edge. I just like what he brings to this football team. We’ve talked a lot about the scheme fit, but I also think just his competitive nature, his toughness, I think that’s a big part of this as well.”
Kevin, you talked about players coming from a two gap to an attack scheme. Is it better for a young player getting them younger to come into that…?
“I think Coach (Jim) Schwartz could definitely speak to this. He’s had a lot of guys in his past that just like you said, were in the league for five years. Then he got to them and worked hard and in that scheme and it’s no secret how you just have to get on the grass and work at it. So, there’s plenty of glimpses on tape with Mason [Graham] though, that show you very clearly that he has the ability to play attack scheme.”
You’ve been mentioning the importance of the player too. You talked about Mason’s competitiveness, but what else about him as the person made him such a fit because that was so important to you guys in the selection?
“Yeah, I think, Cam (Justice), you do so much work on these guys, and you find out damn near everything about them. You talk to their high school coaches and their position coaches, and you just get a well-rounded picture of the person, how they’ve been raised, and what their work ethic is like. Then you get to spend time with them. You get to get a feel for the person. And I just know that his makeup fits our culture.”
I’ve heard coaches say that a guy who can complement a good pass rusher on the edge is the defensive tackle next to him, so than the other edge. Do you and [Jim] Schwartz agree?
“I mean, listen, you could talk yourself into as many good players and put them all over the formation as you can. I can definitely speak to an offensive coach’s perspective. It is difficult when you have an outside guy and an inside guy. There are times that you’re going to want them on the same side. There are plenty of times you’re going to want them opposite each other for obvious reasons. You know, Myles…we’ve talked about this ad nauseum and he gets a lot of attention and it comes in the form of chips. It comes in the form of slides that open up one-on-ones for other players, whether it’s an outside player or an inside player. Now, as we’ve all seen, plenty of teams put two tight ends on both sides and can chip both sides. There’s certainly ways to try and slow down interior players. I think you’ve seen more often with the chip help that people give and certainly devote to Myles and outside players so interior players can get that quicker win that puts them in the lap of the quarterback.”
Can you explain the role of interior players in the attack scheme?
“Man, I wish Coach Schwartz was up here for a history lesson. You know, he’s had some great ones. We were just up there talking about his Bills defensive line, you know, with – I guess it was Mario Williams, Hughes, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams inside. I mean, those were four guys that could win by themselves, but they had…they really had an outside and inside presence. But this scheme and how Coach Schwartz coaches it and what we demand of our guys up front is really to be the engine, of course, but also to mess things up. Mess stuff up. Other words are sometimes used. And that’s what this defensive line is charged to do. And I think that’s why when you watch Mason’s tape, you see so many examples of that where it’s very easy to translate that player into our scheme.”
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