Halfway through his rookie NFL season, former Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham said he has hit a “rookie wall.”

“Man, it’s like it’s just a continuous grind and you’ve got to get ready,” he said, laughing. “You wake up every morning and you’re like, man, I could lie in bed. You got to push through it.”

A first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Graham caught up on his sleep during the team’s recent off week, visited friends in Ann Arbor and saw doctors about a slow-healing sprained ankle. He suffered the sprain in the third week of the season, and it has hindered his development.

Through seven games, he has two sacks and seven tackles. Juqua Parker, who Graham beat out for a starting job during training camp, has regained the role in his absence.

He said the biggest eye opener in the NFL has been the quickness with which quarterbacks get rid of the football, but he’s taken his injury and subsequent struggles in stride.

“It comes with the first year,” he said. “Minicamp, training camp and the season, it’s just a continuous thing. I hit it in camp, and I was ready.”

Pete Bigelow covers the Michigan football team for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2551, via email at petebigelow@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @PeterCBigelow.