The first-round of the 2024 NFL draft was certainly one for the ages, right Buccaneers fans? People expected six quarterbacks taken in the top ten, but I don’t think they expected the Falcons and their hilarious choking.
When you have the option of Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu, and Jared Verse and a need at edge, why not draft Michael Penix Jr? Not as if you paid someone $180 million to be your QB. And hell, if you can have one injured, old QB, why not have two? But this article isn’t to make fun of the Falcons, but to celebrate the falling of Graham Barton to the Bucs.
There was a brief glimmer of hope that Jared Verse would fall to the Bucs. The Rams proceeded to slap that hope straight out of us. But Graham Barton is a damn good option. I said in my only mock draft that Barton would likely not be available at 26 and Jackson Powers-Johnson would likely be there instead. Well, I was half right. They were both there, so the Bucs went with the versatile Duke o-lineman.
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The best thing about Barton is easily his versatility and athleticism. He played mostly at LT, but will likely make the move to either guard or center. The fact that he has taken snaps everywhere was something Licht took note of. Plus, there is athleticism. He has an RAS of 9.99, which is really good for a lineman. And Licht of course has a history of drafting athletic tackles and moving them inside. It will be interesting to see if he moves to guard or center, but we’ll have to see how the rest of this draft goes first.
I absolutely love the move. Yes, I know I’ve talked endless about how great JPJ is, but Barton is so versatile. I think the Buccaneers will likely double dip with IOL, and with Barton, it means you can go center or guard. You’re not pigeonholed into picking one. Obviously we can’t predict what happens with a guy moving inside after playing tackle most of his career. Most recently, Luke Goedeke was a disaster at LG, but really solid at RT.
However, I think Barton will be able to make the transition better. And it is not as if no college player ever moved inside after playing outside. Barton should hopefully be a beast to come and Baker has a solid group of dawgs to keep him standing
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