Tag: Duke football

Graham Barton ends up in familiar spot in latest USA TODAY Sports mock draft

In Nate Davis’s latest NFL mock draft for USA TODAY Sports, Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton ended up on an AFC playoff team he’s frequently linked to.

USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis released an updated NFL mock draft on Monday morning, and he forecasted Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton would end up in his most likely landing spot.

Davis had Barton go 21st overall to the Miami Dolphins, an AFC wild-card team during the 2023 season.

At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds with shorter arms, Barton seems better suited for the interior in the NFL. However, since he started both at left tackle and center in Durham, his versatility is frequently praised by scouts.

Davis, however, just thinks Miami needs all the help it can get on the inside. The Dolphins lost starting guard Robert Hunt to the Panthers and center Connor Williams remains a free agent and seems unlikely to return.

Barton was the fifth of 10 offensive linemen drafted in Davis’s first 32 selections. He was one of three guard prospects to go in the first round alongside Washington’s Troy Fautanu (No. 18 to the Cincinnati Bengals) and Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson (No. 24 to the Dallas Cowboys).

Graham Barton nearly slips out of first round in latest CBS Sports mock draft

Graham Barton has been a consensus first-round pick for most of the draft cycle, but he had to wait a while in the latest CBS Sports mock draft.

Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton seems like an assured first-round pick with less than a week before the NFL draft, but in the latest mock draft from CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan on Saturday, he nearly fell into round two.

Sullivan had Barton go 30th overall to the Baltimore Ravens with the idea of protecting two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. The former Blue Devil played both tackle and center in college, and Sullivan thinks his adaptability is perfect for a Ravens team looking for help in multiple spots.

Barton, usually considered the top interior prospect, went after Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. The Ducks star went 24th overall to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Duke guard was the eighth of nine offensive linemen in Sullivan’s 32-pick mock draft.

Duke defense prevails in Blue & White Game

The spring headlines for Duke football centered around as the quarterback battle, but the Blue Devils defense showed it’s still the heart of the team on Saturday.

All of the attention for Duke football centered around the quarterbacks this spring, from new transfer Maalik Murphy to returners Grayson Loftis and Henry Belin IV.

However, during the Blue & White Game on Saturday, the Blue Devils defense proved it won’t go away in the 2024 season with a 24-16 win over the offense.

Last year under former head coach Mike Elko, Duke surrendered just 19.0 points per game, the best mark in the ACC. Elko left for Texas A&M this winter, but former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz took his place and the defense looks like it won’t lose a step under his eye.

Murphy and Loftis split time under center, and while the stats won’t reflect anything due to the informal nature of the scrimmage, Murphy did toss the only touchdown of the game to star wideout Jordan Moore.

However, the defense won almost every other series. Junior defensive back Chandler Rivers fought with Moore for that touchdown catch, nearly wrestling it away for an interception. True freshman Vontae Floyd, a Virginia native, did intercept Loftis for the game’s lone turnover later in the second half.

Duke’s football season gets underway on August 30 against Elon.

WATCH: Maalik Murphy throws first touchdown in Duke uniform to Jordan Moore

Maalik Murphy, who transferred from Texas this winter, notched his first touchdown at Wallace Wade Stadium with a long heave to star receiver Jordan Moore.

Duke fans got their first looks at the Blue Devils 2024 football team on Saturday afternoon during the spring Blue & White Game.

For most fans, the biggest headlines revolved around new quarterback Maalik Murphy, who transferred from Texas over the winter. Murphy got his chances to lead the Duke offense during game scenarios, and the redshirt sophomore showed off his dizzying arm talent over and over again.

It took until the second half of Saturday’s scrimmage for Murphy to toss his first touchdown in Duke colors, but he threw it to the most expected target.

With a little more than eight minutes left on the clock, the new Blue Devils signal-caller turned toward the right sideline and launched an arching pass toward star receiver Jordan Moore. Moore, blanketed by top corner Chandler Rivers, made an eye-popping contested catch for the first trip to the end zone.

Rivers made Moore work for it, wrestling with him for the ball on the ground for nearly a minute, but the touchdown stood. The score pulled the Duke offense within four points of the defense, who still led 17-13 after the touchdown.

Where is Graham Barton on ESPN’s newest ranking of the top 100 NFL draft prospects?

ESPN senior writer Jeff Legwold released his top 100 prospect ranking on Saturday, and Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton made his way into the top 30.

ESPN senior writer Jeff Legwold released his ranking of the top 100 prospects in the upcoming NFL draft on Saturday, and he thinks Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton is a top-25 prospect.

Legwold had Barton as the 24th overall prospect in the draft. The former Blue Devil was the highest-ranked center on the list, eight spots above Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson. Legwold ranked Barton as his seventh-best offensive lineman overall.

“Barton is a safe bet with quality technique in a high-effort, physical approach,” Legwold wrote. “He simply wins snap after snap in pass protection and the run game.”

Barton’s versatility has been a big focal point through the draft process as he played both left tackle and center in Durham.

Former teammate DeWayne Carter, the All-ACC defensive tackle, just missed out on the 100th and final spot. He was the fifth name listed in Legwold’s ‘Close, but not quite’ category.

The Athletic’s new seven-round mock draft features three Duke linemen

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler went through each and every pick of the upcoming NFL draft for his latest projections, and he had three Blue Devils come off the board.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler went through each and every pick in the draft for his newest seven-round mock on Wednesday, and he fit three former Blue Devils into his projections.

First up, offensive lineman Graham Barton. The presumed first-round pick is expected to shift inside as a guard at the next level, and Brugler thinks he’ll do so in Pittsburgh.

Since Barton played both outside and inside in college (three years at tackle and one year at center), The Athletic writer thinks Pittsburgh will value his flexibility as the Steelers try to rebuild their offensive line.

“Barton offers the five-position versatility that would allow Pittsburgh to get its best five on the field,” Brugler wrote.

Duke defensive lineman DeWayne Carter, a presumed fourth-round pick, came off the board next. Brugler slotted in the All-ACC defensive tackle to Minnesota with the 108th pick, the eighth name off the board in the fourth round.

Last but not least, Barton’s former companion along the offensive line got his moment in the sixth round. Brugler projected that center Jacob Monk would go to the Denver Broncos with the 203rd overall pick in the middle of the sixth round.

Graham Barton nearly inside the top 10 on one expert’s NFL draft big board

Interior offensive linemen don’t typically make it too high on an expert’s big board, but Nate Tice seems very impressed by Duke’s Graham Barton.

If you look near the top of most NFL draft big boards, you won’t find many interior offensive linemen. After all, the rankings are usually adjusted for positional value, and despite the importance of the trenches, a great quarterback or wide receiver can change a franchise overnight.

Let that sentiment reinforce how impressed Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice is with Duke prospect Graham Barton.

In his recent big board published last week, Tice had Barton as the 12th overall player in the draft class.

Even in a stacked offensive line class (15 prospects in Tice’s top 50), Barton stood out. He finished as the sixth-highest lineman in the rankings.

Barton played both tackle and center with the Blue Devils, but he’s expected to start out as a guard with whichever team calls his name during next week’s draft. Tice thinks he could play wherever a team needs him, even moving back to tackle if a team really needs him.

“Barton wins with quickness and hand placement that gives him a chance against better athletes, with enough bend and strength to hold up against more powerful rushers,” Tice wrote.

The former Wisconsin quarterback said he wasn’t sure how Barton could hold his own against the game’s elite pass rushers, but he thinks the former Blue Devil has a high floor.

Nate Tice assigns superlatives to the 2024 offensive linemen; what did he call Graham Barton?

Former Wisconsin quarterback Nate Tice, now an NFL analyst, broke down the upcoming OL prospects with some superlatives on Wednesday. What role did Graham Barton fit on the list?

Former Wisconsin quarterback Nate Tice, now an NFL writer and analyst, broke down the upcoming offensive linemen for Yahoo Sports on Wednesday, and it’s safe to say he’s a fan. He finished with 15 of them in his top 50 overall prospects.

With more than a dozen linemen he’s enamored with, Tice decided to hand out superlatives to the young prospects.

Graham Barton, the four-year Duke starter, ended up in the category of “high-end Swiss Army Hogs” alongside Washington’s Troy Fautanu.

Barton played left tackle for the Blue Devils, but his height and frame (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) seem to push him toward the inside at the next level. Tice, however, thinks the former All-ACC tackle could play wherever a team needs him.

“They both play with such advanced hands, athletic bend and tight footwork that it allows them to overcome any deficiencies,” Tice wrote. ” I could basically say every team in the draft would be a good fit for Fautanu or Barton.”

The praise falls in line with most of the conversation around Barton during the pre-draft process as his versatility has been a massive boost on his resume.

Tice had Barton as the 12th-ranked player in the draft on his most recent big board.

Peter Schrager forecasts Graham Barton to an NFC divisional winner in latest mock draft

Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager released his first mock draft on Tuesday, and he had Duke lineman Graham Barton projected in a popular spot.

Peter Schrager from the NFL Network show Good Morning Football released his first mock draft on Tuesday, less than 10 days ahead of the NFL draft.

After emphasizing early in the story that his projections reflect what he’s been told, not what he would do, the popular personality had Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton headed to Tampa Bay with the 26th pick.

The Buccaneers retained quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans this offseason, but they still need help on the inside of their offensive line. They lost center Ryan Jensen and guard Alex Cappa to retirement and free agency, respectively, since their Super Bowl win three seasons ago.

NFL scouts praised Barton’s versatility throughout the draft process since he played both tackle and center in Durham, and Schrager said Barton could play wherever Tampa Bay needs him.

The Buccanneers are one of the most popular spots for the former Blue Devil because of their needs at guard and center.

Two former Blue Devils listed on CBS Sports’ top 100 college football players for 2024

CBS Sports released its top 100 college football players for the 2024 season on Monday, and while no current Blue Devils made the cut, two recent Duke players who transferred to Notre Dame appeared.

CBS Sports released its top 100 college football players ahead of the 2024 season, and while no Blue Devils made the cut, two former Duke players did.

Quarterback Riley Leonard and edge rusher R.J. Oben, who both left Durham for Notre Dame this offseason, appeared on the list. Oben came in first at 89th before Leonard at 98th.

Oben spent five seasons with the Blue Devils before he left to take his last year of eligibility in South Bend. He’s put up at least four sacks in each of the last three seasons, with 62 total tackles and 14 sacks across that time frame. His 27 pressures and 73.8 PFF pass-rush grade were the highest totals on the Duke team last season.

Leonard threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022, and he compiled 1,102 yards and three touchdowns during his junior year. After helping the Blue Devils win their first four games of the year, he suffered an ankle injury during a game against, coincidentally, the Fighting Irish in Week 5. He only threw 39 passes for the rest of the year.

The third-year quarterback still finished with a QBR of 72.2 for the 2023 season.