Tag: graham barton

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.

USA Today gives Tampa Bay a ‘B’ for Graham Barton pick

Tampa Bay gets a “B” grade for drafting Graham Barton.

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and here we are examining how each team that had a first-rounder did.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton with the 26th overall pick, and in many ways, that pick is a perfect blend of need and upside for the Bucs at that spot.

Barton began his Blue Devils career at center in 2020 and then started 34 games at left tackle over the last three seasons of his collegiate career. His positional flexibility was alluring to many teams, but his work at the center appeals most to the Buccaneers.

USA Today handed out grades for every single first-round pick last night, and here’s what they decided for Tampa Bay.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, C, Duke – Grade: B

In an offseason that could have been a disaster for the Buccaneers, Jason Licht found a way to keep everything together. His solid effort extends to the draft, as Tampa Bay addressed its shaky interior with Barton. A left tackle for the last three seasons at Duke, the 6-5, 313-pounder exhibits the strength, smarts and smooth movements to slide back to the pivot, where he started his career with the Blue Devils. He should help lead the charge for improving a run game that averaged a league-worst 3.4 yards per carry in 2023.

Giving Tampa Bay a “B” for their efforts feels reasonable. The Bucs were in a tough spot because if they traded down, there was a chance Barton would not have made it past the Dallas Cowboys, who also coveted Barton’s versatility.

With Barton in the fold, he will likely take over for 2023 starter Robert Hainsey. Barton posted the highest RAS of any center since 1987. His athleticism at center is unprecedented. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who just signed a three-year, 100 million dollar deal, will be thrilled to have this level of protection and football IQ protecting him up the middle.

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.

WATCH: Graham Barton gets ‘the call’ from Bucs on draft night

Watch first-round pick Graham Barton get the official call from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on draft night

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their man Thursday night, spending the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton.

A versatile player who can line up anywhere along the offensive line, Barton will likely be the favorite to win the starting job at center as a rookie.

Watch the video above to see the moment Barton received the official call on draft night that he would be Tampa Bay’s top selection.

[lawrence-related id=86744]

WATCH: Bucs GM Jason Licht breaks down 1st-round pick Graham Barton

Hear what Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht had to say about drafting Graham Barton in the first round

The newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, who was chosen with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night.

Shortly after the selection was made, Bucs general manager Jason Licht met with the media to discuss the pick.

Watch the video above to see everything Licht had to say about his latest draft choice.

[lawrence-related id=86739]

Instant 2024 NFL Draft grades: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Graham Barton

Instant 2024 NFL Draft grades: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select OL Graham Barton from Duke

The Buccaneers’ number one need heading into the draft was interior offensive line talent, and they landed one of the best and most versatile at the position in Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton.

Barton projects as an immediate starter at either left guard or center and can realistically kick around to any position on the offensive line if needed. He will help secure what was a shaky offensive line and make the Buccaneers an even more dangerous offensive unit.

A starter at left tackle, Barton is fundamentally sound, has excellent feet, top-tier play strength, and plenty of versatility, having bounced around the line. Expect Barton to be one of the better rookie players in his rookie year.

Grade: A+

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5375″ ]

WATCH: Bucs 1st-round pick Graham Barton speaks to the media

Hear what Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft pick Graham Barton had to say to the media after being selected

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added a versatile offensive lineman in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night, selecting Duke’s Graham Barton with the No. 26 overall pick.

Shortly after he was selected, Barton met with local media on video chat to talk about what he’s bringing to Tampa Bay as the newest member of the team.

Watch the video above to see everything Barton said in his first press conference.

[lawrence-related id=86737]

Bucs were ‘crossing their fingers’ that they would land Graham Barton

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were sweating it out before finally landing their top target in the first round

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.

[lawrence-related id=86735]

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.