He hasn’t played a regular-season snap yet, but former Duke offensive lineman [autotag]Graham Barton[/autotag] seems to be living up to the hype for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Pro Football Focus gave the former Blue Devil an 84.6 overall grade for the preseason, the highest mark of any rookie offensive lineman and the second-highest grade for any center.
Barton didn’t give up a single pressure, and he finished with a run-blocking grade of 82.5 and a pass-blocking grade of 82.2.
Barton’s preseason performance gets even more impressive when you remember he moved to a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year of college. After multiple All-ACC seasons as Duke’s left tackle, Tampa Bay moved him back to center.
At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Barton is one of the most athletic center prospects ever recorded, and he seems to be fitting right back into his old spot. For a team like Tampa Bay, which struggled mightily between the tackles in 2023 despite making the playoffs, Barton could be a game-changing presence.
https://twitter.com/PFF_Buccaneers/status/1831364256198963617
Barton makes his regular-season debut against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.