The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their guy Thursday night, landing Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
A versatile blocker who can play all five positions, Barton was the Bucs’ primary target, according to general manager Jason Licht.
“We had him [as a] center, but he can play guard,” Licht said after the pick was made. “He did a pretty damn good job playing tackle, too. So, there’s a lot of versatility there with him. We had him targeted. To be honest with you, the whole time we were crossing our fingers that he would make it to us and he did, so that’s good. He’s got a tenacious playing style that we like. He’s a very good athlete, he’s a very good technician.”
Tampa Bay’s patience paid off, as they might have been tempted to move up a few spots to make sure they got Barton, but he ended up falling right into their lap at their original slot.
Barton should be an immediate upgrade over incumbent center Robert Hainsey, helping to improve the Bucs’ lackluster ground game, and providing improved protection for Baker Mayfield.
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