The Philadelphia Eagles selected Graves in the ninth round (seventy-third pick overall) of the 1942 NFL Draft, and he ended a brief stint as a high school football coach to play professionally. He played offensive line and linebacker for the Eagles during the 1942 and 1943 seasons, including the temporary merger of the Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers known as the "Steagles." (The Steagles were formed when the league had to limit rosters and cut back to eight teams in 1943 because of manpower shortages during World War II.)