Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham helped his draft stock enough during Senior Bowl practices this week that ESPN analyst Todd McShay said Graham now projects as a first-round pick.

“He was able to show that despite an underwhelming body at just 6-1 and change and right around 260 pounds, that he’s able to do everything you need him to do,” McShay said in a conference call. “And whether he plays defensive end in a 4-3 or outside linebacker in a 3-4, he’s just the kind of guy that seems to get to the NFL and then have success. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s aggressive and the effort is just, it’s relentless.”

Graham, who led the nation with 26 tackles for loss last season, entered the week as a borderline first-rounder according to McShay, but drew glowing reviews for his play.

The Senior Bowl game is Saturday, but most NFL talent evaluators put more stock in the practices.

“There wasn’t a guy here this week that hustled more, that had better technique, that picked up schemes and did things as quickly as anyone at the defensive-line position or outside-linebacker position,” McShay said. “He’s just a Bill Belichick-type of guy. He’s going to come in and love playing the game and play it better than his measurables and his skill set would lead you to believe.”

McShay said he had an “89” grade on Graham off his senior year film, with 90 being a first-round pick. That likely will go up when rankings are reset, McShay said.

“I don’t know that Graham surprised people necessarily with his season,” he said. “What surprised me was how well he played on such a bad defense, to be honest with you. You look at games where nothing was going right on the defensive side, yet he’s still going 100 miles per hour eight minutes into the fourth quarter and acting as if they’re trying to maintain a shutout. That’s the kind of effort he gives.”

Punter Zoltan Mesko, the only other Michigan player invited to the Senior Bowl, “was solid overall, but didn’t really wow anyone,” McShay said.

“He was OK this week,” McShay said. “He has some versatility Maybe he gets drafted in the seventh round. He’ll certainly get a shot as a free-agent pick if he doesn’t get drafted, but I think the versatility helps him.”

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.