THIS GRAHAM BARTON PROFILE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 29, 2024.

Bucs draft season is here!

And one player I am especially excited to watch this week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl is Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton. The talented player has a lot going for him as he tries to improve his draft stock to perhaps allow him to sneak into the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

One guy I am excited to see at Senior Bowl is Duke OL Graham Barton. Played LT in college but will be taking snaps on the interior next week. #62 in the clip. pic.twitter.com/KB8thGFGli

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) January 28, 2024

Graham Barton’s College Career

Graham Barton was a two-sport letterman in high school on both football and lacrosse. He was the No. 9 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee and No. 14 offensive lineman in the country coming out of Brentwood, Tennessee.

He cracked the starting lineup for Duke as a freshman in 2020 and amassed 40 career games in the ACC. This experience has helped him become a polished product that has racked up several accolades over his college career. He was a second-team freshman All-American pick by the Athletic in 2020. And in 2022 he was first-team all-ACC.

Barton played most of his career at left tackle but did play six games (started five) as a center in his freshman season. Over his entire four-year college career, he only allowed 50 pressures, 32 hurries, eight quarterback hits and 10 sacks while recording pass block efficiency marks of 98.0, 96.5, 98.7 and 97.2 in each season, respectively.

And per Pro Football Focus he notched run block grades of 86.9 and 71.2 and pass block grades of 85.1 and 78.2 in his final two years.

Graham Barton’s Physical Profile

Duke OL Graham Barton – Photo by: USA Today

At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Graham Barton’s frame matches that of a typical offensive tackle. As a matter of fact, Mockdraftables has Barton’s reported measurements as almost the exact mean for an offensive tackle.

But the issue comes down to his arm length, which will most likely come in under the length most teams would be comfortable with for tackle. His frame is well-proportioned, with a big-barreled chest and mass through his core and thighs.

He compliments his size with quick feet, excellent burst from that strong core, and hip flexibility and dexterity that is uncommon for a man of his size. This athleticism is what most likely allowed him to letter in lacrosse in high school. Either way he moves very well both vertically and laterally which allows him to operate in any blocking scheme.

Graham Barton’s Strengths

The list of things Graham Barton does well is long and varied. I mentioned above he is a plus mover. His strong core and leg drive allow him to explode off the line and displace opponents from their run gaps easily.

#Duke OT/OG Graham Barton thread:

Barton is 6’5”, 315lbs and is a mauler in the run game. He only has 32 5/8th inch arms and some teams might view him as a guard-only pic.twitter.com/6FK1JHBiii

— Dustin Mosher (@Dustin_Mosher) January 25, 2024

Barton matches that drive strength with independent hands that allow him to attack rushers. He matches that hand-usage with plus grip strength so when he does lock in, he is able to control the rep to its conclusion.

His quick feet and plus athleticism aid Barton in being able to get into his pass sets quickly. Paired with his high football IQ, Barton is quite often dictating terms by getting to rush lanes/spots before his competition can. And because he plays light on his feet with good leverage, he has amazing range to match pass rushers coming from odd and difficult angles.

@DukeFOOTBALL OT Graham Barton has been talked about as a G at the pro level but somebody should give him a look at tackle first.

Plays with excellent balance and power with the ability to anticipate what the man across from him is going to do and have a quick counter.

Nice job… pic.twitter.com/Z1YTCkwcDp

— Glenn Naughton (@JNRadio_Glenn) January 26, 2024

Areas Of Concern With The Duke O-Lineman

Graham Barton is not a perfect NFL prospect. His arm length (32 5/8) makes him a likely candidate to move inside to guard or center. If it’s guard where he winds up, he will likely need to bulk up to be able to handle the big and powerful defensive tackles the NFL will throw at him. But even without the bulk up I worry about his overall upper body strength as it stands now.

Barton is often credited with being a powerful blocker, and that is very true. But the vast majority of the power he shows on tape is a result of his leg drive as a run-blocker. In pass protection when he is working backwards, he has to rely more on his upper body strength. In these reps he isn’t nearly as dominant, and he can struggle against long and powerful rushers.

Those struggles against length are exacerbated when he fails to maintain leverage. If Barton allows his opponent to get an upward trajectory into his chest, he can lose his balance and power while getting driven backwards. He can also get caught over-setting on his pass sets, leaving him vulnerable to inside moves.

Barton will need to work on his hand placement, as he can widen his punch and get outside his opponent’s pads. At the next level this can lead to holding penalties. Lastly, he can be a tick late in handling stunts/twists/loops. It will be critical for him to get his position settled early in camp and as many reps as possible to work on pass-offs to help negate this.

My Current Outlook

Duke OL Graham Barton – Photo by: USA Today

I do believe Graham Barton best profiles inside where he has some experience dating back to 2020. I like him at guard long-term and think his frame can easily add the necessary muscle and mass to help him get strong enough to be a plus at that position. Senior Bowl president Jim Nagy said that Barton will be playing a lot of center in Mobile, Ala. this week.

Given how well he moves, and his plus athleticism, combined with his strong legs that he consistently keeps churning, I think he could be an excellent addition to a Bucs offensive line that is looking for players who can help move their run game forward.

I have a second-round grade on Barton and believe that’s the round he will mostly be taken at this point in the draft season. He is currently the top-ranked interior offensive lineman on my board, ahead of Jackson Powers-Johnson of Oregon, who I also have a second-round grade on.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht loves to draft college offensive tackles and move them inside. Ali Marpet, Alex Cappa and Cody Mauch were left tackles and moved inside to guard in Tampa Bay, while Robert Hainsey moved from right tackle to center. Plus, Licht has drafted six offensive linemen from the Senior Bowl, including all four of those mentioned.