The Bucs have made another investment in their offensive line, drafting Duke OL Graham Barton with the 26th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Barton, who played left tackle for the last three years for the Blue Devils will kick inside to center most likely according to Bucs general manager Jason Licht.
Looking over three games from his final year at Duke (Clemson, North Carolina State and Florida State), there is a lot to like about the talented big man. Here is how Pro Football Focus graded him out for those matchups.
| Opponent | Overall Grade | Run Block Grade | Pass Block Grade | Pressures Allowed | Pressure Rate |
| Clemson | 75.6 | 68.7 | 84.2 | 2 | 5.13% |
| NC State | 62.4 | 60.1 | 65.5 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Florida State | 61.3 | 56.3 | 73.3 | 1 | 3.85% |
Strengths
Grip Strength
One of the things that jumps out quickly about Graham Barton is his grip strength. His strong hands help keep him latched to opponents through the end of the repetition so he can maintain control of the interaction.
That grip strength also aids him in times where he loses early in the rep. By staying connected, he can maintain contact with the defender while the rest of his body and his feet catch back up to re-center.
Leg Drive
Barton has a strong lower half that he uses well by maintaining motion in his feet. Combining that power and movement, he displaces opponents in the run game.
In the rep above, he is able to create movement with his powerful lower half but maintain the block throughout the play by staying squared up with his defender, showing impressive balance and footwork. You see it here as he digs out the 4i as well.
Finisher’s Mentality
One of the most endearing qualities an offensive lineman can possess from both a coach’s and fan’s perspective is a tenacity to finish a rep on a high note. Unlike skill position players, offensive linemen don’t have as many opportunities to generate highlights. But it isn’t impossible. The biggest win a lineman can put on tape is a rep where they put their opponent on the ground. There is no shortage of those clips on Graham Barton’s reel.
Blocking On The Move
As NFL offenses become more complex and seek to exploit all areas of the field, it has become even more important for offensive linemen to be able to win on the move. He has no shortage of athleticism.
The important drills to key on are Barton’s agility scores. His 4.55-second short shuttle was 0.11 seconds better than average for the center position and his 7.31-second three-cone is over an entire standard deviation better than the average. This testing shows up on his tape. His hips have plenty of fluidity, so he can easily twist back to cut-off backside pursuers and has the speed and burst to get to the second level quickly to take out linebackers and safeties.
Balance and Footwork
Barton plays with really good control of his lower half with smooth and symmetrical steps. With his balanced play, he reacts well to counters and picks up loopers easily.
Understands Angles
Graham Barton is a cerebral player who understands blocking angles and player positioning. He uses both to his advantage. In the rep below, Barton positions himself to Jared Verse’s outside and lures him into wanting to attack Barton’s inside shoulder. Knowing that the offense was running counter that would go outside of him, he then walls off Verse, who is now not filling the “C” gap.
Learns From His Mistakes
I mentioned earlier Barton approaches the game cerebrally. Much like Cody Mauch last year, his tape shows he can learn from mistakes throughout even an individual game. Against Florida State, Verse beats him early with a push-pull. Later in the game, Verse attempts to pull the same move, but this time Barton stays latched and rides the pull while keeping himself in between Verse and the run. You can see both plays as a part of a collection I put together here.
Weaknesses
Inconsistent Pad Level
Graham Barton’s pad level isn’t always the cleanest and when he gets high, it exploits his shorter arms and exposes his chest. This leads to him losing the leverage game and negates his natural anchor.
Late Hands That Can Get Wide In Pass Protection
The Bucs will need to work with Barton on his strike timing and general hand placement. He can be late with his punch and wide with his hand placement, which gives up his chest early and condenses the pocket quickly. This happened a couple of times against Verse and Florida State. This also led to him getting called for six penalties in 2023 and 16 over the last two years.
Looking Ahead With Graham Barton
There is some projection to Barton’s game. He hasn’t played center in three years, but looked solid in limited action as a freshman in a Covid-affected season in the ACC. Technique will be the biggest area of improvement for Barton, but if he can make a couple of steps forward with his hand placement and timing, he should have a more successful rookie season than the Bucs’ last two early-round offensive lineman in Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch.
More long term, I think Barton’s frame is NFL and interior ready, more so than Mauch last year who needed to add mass in his lower half to handle the consistent power he will face in the interior at the NFL level.
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