Fun. Nerves. And everything in between. By the time Brandon Graham set up his party preparing for the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, he had experienced the full range of emotions and experiences. Coming off a fantastic senior season at the University of Michigan – Graham recorded 10.5 quarterback sacks and 26 tackles for loss – he launched full throttle into the process of preparing for The Moment.
It was everything he thought it would be.
“It was all worth it and I remember it very well,” Graham said the other day at the NovaCare Complex as he prepares for his 13th season with the Eagles. “Make sure you enjoy it. Make sure you own up to everything in your past. Tell the truth. Prepare to be the best you can be. As soon as I was finished my season at Michigan, I met with three potential agents, made my decision, and then bam, that’s when everything started.”
“Everything” is, literally, everything.
The Senior Bowl was the first stop and while in Mobile, Alabama, Graham had a great week of practice and then earned Most Valuable Player honors in the game with five tackles, two quarterback sacks, and a forced fumble.
“That week,” Graham said, “is probably why I’m here. MVP of the game, great week.”
Then, it was off to prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine and then a host of interviews and meetings and questions and scrutiny.
Along the way, Graham had some challenges. He pulled a hamstring running the 40-yard dash at the Combine and couldn’t participate in the remaining drills. While in Indianapolis, Graham met with 26 of the 32 teams and some of them couldn’t figure out if he would be best suited to play as a standup edge rusher or a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end. Scouts wondered about his less-than-ideal arm length of 31 inches and whether, at 6-1 and 263 pounds, he was stout enough to play at the line of scrimmage.
Being genuine, Graham said, is the important factor above all else.