Tag: Duke football

Former Duke wide receiver Jalon Calhoun signs with Detroit Lions

Jalon Calhoun, a five-year Blue Devils wide receiver, signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent on Saturday night.

Duke wide receiver Jalon Calhoun didn’t hear his name called during the 2024 NFL draft, but he’ll still get to put pen to paper on an NFL contract.

The Detroit Lions signed Calhoun as an undrafted free agent after the seventh round ended on Saturday evening.

Calhoun played for the Blue Devils for five seasons, starting as a freshman in 2019. He played 61 games across that time frame, amassing more than 3,000 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns.

He had his best season in 2022 when he caught 62 passes for 873 yards, both career-highs, and tied his personal best with four receiving touchdowns. He finished his career with an average of 49.6 yards per game, and he surpassed 100 yards in six different games, including a staggering 174 yards against Wake Forest in 2022.

Calhoun finished either first or second on the team in receiving yards during each of his five Duke seasons. In fact, he led the team with 420 receiving yards as a freshman.

Calhoun will fight for playing time on a stacked Detroit offense featuring receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Jacob Monk goes to the Green Bay Packers in fifth round

The Green Bay Packers drafted Duke offensive lineman Jacob Monk in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday.

The Green Bay Packers traded up to draft Duke offensive lineman Jacob Monk in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday.

Monk, who played both right guard and center for the Blue Devils last season, went with the 163rd overall pick. The Packers gave up two picks to go get the longtime Duke starter.

At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, Monk was ESPN’s 154th overall prospect on the Best Available tracker and the site’s seventh-highest center.

Monk, like former teammate Graham Barton, played all across the Duke offensive line. He started as a right tackle in 2019, shifted to right guard the next two seasons, and started dabbling as a center in 2022 and 2023. He spent the last two Blue Devils seasons as a team captain, and he earned Second Team All-ACC honors as a senior.

Duke has now seen three former players drafted by the NFL this year. Barton went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 26th overall pick in the opening round and defensive tackle DeWayne Carter went to the Buffalo Bills in the third round.

DeWayne Carter taken by the Buffalo Bills in third round

The Buffalo Bills drafted All-ACC defensive tackle DeWayne Carter during Friday’s third round.

The Buffalo Bills drafted Duke defensive lineman DeWayne Carter in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft on Friday.

The former Blue Devil went 95th overall after he was expected to be a fourth-round pick in most mock drafts.

Carter spent five years with the Blue Devils, amassing 126 tackles, 12 sacks, and five forced fumbles across his career. He set a personal record with 41 total tackles in 2023, and he earned First Team All-ACC honors for the first time as a senior.

Carter became the second Duke player drafted this year after offensive lineman Graham Barton went 26th overall in the opening round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bills also drafted Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman and Utah safety Cole Bishop during the second round.

WATCH: Duke lineman Graham Barton finds out he’s a first-round pick from Tampa Bay

Watch the moment the Tampa Bay Buccaneers told Graham Barton he would be a first-round pick.

Every college football player dreams of the moment they get the call, an NFL front office letting them know they’re going to play the game they love at the professional level.

Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton got that call on Thursday night.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Barton with the 26th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, making him the third Blue Devil since 1987 to hear his name called on the first day.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles got on the phone and let Barton know he’d be a member of the organization. Check out his reaction below.

Barton also heard from former first-round pick Laken Tomlinson, another Duke offensive lineman, after the historic selection.

Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht said Bucs were ‘crossing our fingers’ for Graham Barton

“We were crossing our fingers that he would make it to us,” Tampa Bay’s general manager said after the Buccaneers drafted Graham Barton.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht seemed quite pleased with Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton on Thursday night.

Licht and Tampa Bay made the former Blue Devil the 26th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and the team had its eyes on him the entire night.

“To be honest with you, the whole time, we were crossing our fingers that he would make it to us,” Licht said after the pick. “And he did.”

Licht also confirmed that Tampa Bay saw Barton as a center. He would replace franchise legend Ryan Jensen, who started Super Bowl LV three seasons ago and retired in February.

The leader of the Buccaneers front office didn’t rule out other spots, however, praising the versatility Barton was known for within draft circles.

“Center, but he can play guard,” Licht said. “He did a pretty damn good job playing tackle, too.”

Barton became the eighth Blue Devil picked in the first round of the NFL draft and the third since 1987.

Graham Barton is mathematically the most athletic center prospect in 40 years

Tampa Bay drafted Graham Barton to play center, and his testing numbers give him the highest athletic score in the history of the position.

Should Graham Barton end up playing center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’d be an unprecedented athlete at the position.

The 6-foot-5, 313-pound offensive lineman played tackle for the last three years, and he earned First Team All-ACC nominations in both 2022 and 2023.

Barton played center for the Blue Devils as a freshman, however. Tampa Bay listed the former Duke star as a center in their social media announcement of his selection, and general manager Jason Licht confirmed that was the position they had in mind for Barton after the pick.

According to the measurements from Barton’s NFL combine and pro day, he has the highest relative athletic score among all 619 center prospects since 1987. Kent Lee Platte, who created the R.A.S. calculation, shared the information on Thursday night.

His height, 40-yard dash time (4.95 seconds), and 3-cone shuttle (7.31 seconds) all tested in the top percentiles in the history of the position.

Barton would replace Super Bowl LV starter Ryan Jensen, who officially announced his retirement in February after battling injury issues.

WATCH: Former Blue Devil Laken Tomlinson congratulates Graham Barton on NFL draft pick

Graham Barton joined Laken Tomlinson as one of eight Duke players taken in the first round of the NFL draft, and Tomlinson recorded a short video congratulating him.

Graham Barton became the eighth former Duke player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took him off the board with the 26th pick.

Laken Tomlinson, another member of the elite club, took notice of the accomplishment. The Duke football team shared a short clip of the NFL veteran addressing his former Blue Devil after the selection.

“I’m so proud of you, man,” Tomlinson said. “I know about all the work you’ve been putting on in the trenches.”

“Keep grinding and making us proud. I can’t wait to see what you do next year on the field.”

Tomlinson, who also plays on the offensive line, was picked 28th overall by the Detroit Lions in 2015. At the time, he was the first first-rounder from the Duke program in almost 30 years.

He signed with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason after stints with the San Fransisco 49ers and the New York Jets.

Tomlinson, Barton, and New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones are the only three Duke players taken on opening night since 1987.

WATCH: The moment Duke lineman Graham Barton heard his name get called

Duke fans, check out the moment that former Blue Devil Graham Barton heard his name called in the 2024 NFL draft.

Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton became the eighth Duke football player taken in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Barton with the 26th pick, hoping he can help replace the three starting interior linemen they’ve lost to retirement and free agency over the past two years.

Barton, who played both tackle and guard for the Blue Devils, was a First Team All-ACC honoree in each of the last two seasons.

Barton didn’t attend the draft ceremony in Detroit, but he got the call from Tampa Bay while surrounded by family and close friends at home. The Blue Devils released a video of the moment Barton heard NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell say his name.

Barton will join an offense with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin as Tampa Bay tries to win a fourth straight NFC South title.

Graham Barton drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took former Blue Devils offensive tackle Graham Barton with the 26th pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday evening.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted former Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton with the 26th overall pick during the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday evening.

Barton was the eighth offensive lineman selected during Thursday’s opening round. He’ll get to protect former Oklahoma quarterback and 2017 Heisman winner Baker Mayfield.

Barton played both left tackle and center with the Blue Devils, and he’s expected to play as a guard or a center in the NFL. Since their home victory in Super Bowl LV, the Bucs have three interior starters on the offensive line. Center Ryan Jensen and guard Ali Marpet both retired and guard Alex Cappa left for the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency.

The Buccaneers were a frequent landing spot for Barton during the leadup to Thursday’s opening round. A handful of national analysts predicted that Tampa Bay would take the former Blue Devil.

Barton becomes the eighth Blue Devil taken in the first round of the NFL draft and the third since 1987.

Only two Duke players drafted in College Sports Wire’s seven-round mock

College Sports Wire’s Ryan Roberts projected all seven rounds of the NFL draft on Thursday, but only two Duke players came off the board.

College Sports Wire’s Ryan Roberts released a full seven-round mock draft on Thursday ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, but he only had two Blue Devils taken among all 257 selections.

Roberts had Graham Barton, the offensive lineman, go 24th overall to the Dallas Cowboys in the opening round. Barton, who played both tackle and center for Duke, would become the program’s eighth first-round NFL draft pick. Roberts thinks he will move back to snapping the ball on Sundays.

“His combination of athleticism and physicality will be a welcomed addition on the inside,” Roberts wrote.

Defensive lineman DeWayne Carter, who joined Barton as a First Team All-ACC selection in 2023, went in the fourth round to the Chicago Bears. In Roberts’ projections, he would join USC quarterback Caleb Williams and LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers in the Windy City.

Jacob Monk, another Duke offensive lineman, has been featured as a day-three pick on multiple seven-round projections during the draft cycle. However, Roberts thinks Monk needs to wait for free agency to find an NFL home.