If you’re an offensive lineman going against Booker T Washington defensive lineman Joseph Graves Joseph Graves 6'2" | 285 lbs | DL Bradenton IMG Academy | 2027 State FL you have two choices. You either hold him and risk getting a flag or you simply get beat. We’ve watched Graves in person a handful of times over the last year and each time, he stands out as a guy that can consistently beat his man from the interior of the defensive line. It doesn’t matter what you throw at him, in a one on one situation, Graves is going to either find a way into the backfield or he’s going to be held. And because of that, opposing teams have to throw double teams his way and what’s scary is the fact that he’s starting to beat those with ease as well. It didn’t take long for Graves to establish himself as one of the best overall guys in this class. It happened very early in his freshman year.

Booker T Washington defensive lineman Joseph Graves Joseph Graves 6'2" | 285 lbs | DL Bradenton IMG Academy | 2027 State FL is right there in the conversation with Stanford for the top overall spot in this class. Like Stanford, Graves was a name we knew about before his freshman season even began and it didn’t take long for him to have an impact immediately for the Hornets. This year, it looks like Graves has taken his game to another level and we are definitely benefitting from just seeing him in person in week six. Graves is an absolute monster on the line of scrimmage and when he’s not getting into the backfield, it’s usually because he’s being held. Despite being just a sophomore, you can definitely make the argument that Graves is one of the top interior defensive lineman prospects in the state, regardless of the class. He’s that special.

We mentioned Booker T Washington’s defensive lineman that just finished a monster freshman season. Joseph Graves Joseph Graves 6'2" | 285 lbs | DL Bradenton IMG Academy | 2027 State FL is that guy and he has firmly established himself as one of the best at his position and in the state’s 2027 class as an overall prospect. He has seen his recruitment really start to take off this offseason and it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. Last season, it was clear fairly early on that Graves was arguably the best player on the team and that was early in his freshman season. After being around Graves a handful of times, he’s an easy guy to root for because he always has a smile on his face. But when the ball is snapped, he flips that switch that makes him truly elite. 

We told you that the defensive line group was deep in this class already. Booker T Washington standout Joseph Graves Joseph Graves 6'2" | 285 lbs | DL Bradenton IMG Academy | 2027 State FL is another one up front to keep an eye on moving forward. Graves was a name to know prior to his freshman season and it didn’t take long for him to be a major impact player for the Hornets. We benefitted from getting a chance to see Graves twice in a month from late April to late May. He came and dominated at our April camp and then was one of the top defensive linemen we watched at the Claremore team camp. Graves is an absolute monster up front and he has the potential to be a special prospect moving forward.