Tag: graham barton

2024 NFL mock draft roundup: Ravens reload at cornerback and offensive tackle

We’re looking at the 2024 NFL mock draft roundups and the Baltimore Ravens are projected to land a cornerback and offensive tackle

The Baltimore Ravens are 14-4 and one game away from a Super Bowl appearance after a 34-10 win over the Texans in the divisional round.

Even with Lamar Jackson and company roaring through the playoff field, it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft.

Baltimore currently has about $13,658,828 in salary cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $120+ million plus on the offensive side of the football.

The Ravens also have 30 players scheduled to hit free agency, and some tough decisions will be made regarding who returns to Baltimore.

With the Reese’s Senior Bowl fast approaching and draft coverage set to begin, we’re looking at an updated mock draft roundup for AFC Championship week.

2024 NFL mock draft: Ravens reload in the trenches with depth at edge rusher

We’re doing a 2024 NFL mock draft roundup, and the Baltimore Ravens are projected to add depth at defensive tackle

The Baltimore Ravens are 13-4 and set to enjoy a week of rest after claiming the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a much-needed first-round bye.

Even with Lamar Jackson and company ready to roar into the playoffs, it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft.

Baltimore currently has about $19,485,086 in salary cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $120+ million plus on the offensive side of the football.

The Ravens also have 27 players scheduled to hit free agency, and some tough decisions will be made regarding who returns to Baltimore.

With the Reese’s Senior Bowl fast approaching and draft coverage set to begin, we’re looking at an updated mock draft roundup for Wild Card Weekend. 

2024 NFL mock draft: Ravens add elite depth at the cornerback position

We’re looking at a 2024 NFL Mock Draft and the Baltimore Ravens are projected to land cornerback Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo

The Baltimore Ravens are 11-3 and preparing for a gigantic Christmas night matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16.

Even with Lamar Jackson and company roaring toward the playoffs, it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft.

Baltimore currently has about $6,150,461 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $120+ million plus on the offensive side of the football.

The Ravens also have 27 players scheduled to hit free agency, and some tough decisions will be made regarding who returns to Baltimore.

With the Reese’s Senior Bowl fast approaching and draft coverage set to begin, we’re looking at an updated mock draft roundup for Week 16.

Graham Barton will be playing center at the Senior Bowl

Duke left tackle Graham Barton will be playing center at the Senior Bowl, portending a likely position switch in the NFL

One of the top offensive tackles in the 2023 college football season will likely be moving to center in the NFL. Duke left tackle Graham Barton appears ready to make the move into the pivot. In fact, Barton will jumpstart the process during Senior Bowl week by playing center during the practices and the game itself.

In an interview on Sirius XM NFL Radio on Thursday, Senior Bowl president Jim Nagy brought up Barton and his pending trip to Mobile. Nagy indicated Barton will primarily play center during the Senior Bowl week.

“(Barton) is probably going to be repping a lot at center here,” Nagy said. “He did some of that early in his career at Duke, but he’s been a left tackle the past three years. I think he’s got a Pro Bowl-type feeling at center. He’ll get a lot of work there.”

Most draft analysts have previously pegged Barton for a move inside, and this is a good indication that the NFL also sees the talented Barton with a better future at center instead of tackle. He could very well be the first center selected in the 2024 NFL draft.

Dane Brugler Mock 1.0: Cowboys draft offensive lineman in early exercise

From @ToddBrock24f7: In this early mock, the Cowboys get a versatile lineman who solidifies the protection for Dak Prescott’s blind side for the next decade.

From Aaron Rodgers to Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins to Deshaun Watson, Anthony Richardson to Daniel Jones, 2023 may be remembered by many as the year of the injured quarterback, with numerous teams around the league losing their starting passer and, in many cases, their season’s hopes right along with him.

2024, then, could shape up to be a big year for the big man, with clubs looking to protect those under-center investments with young offensive line help via early-round draft choices. All indications are that the Class of ’24 will be exceptionally deep in O-line talent, making it a great year for a team like the Cowboys to address an area of need.

Through 11 games this season, Dallas has allowed just 23 sacks, placing their line in the NFL’s top 10 for keeping their quarterback upright. But there are questions looming on the horizon for next season: center Tyler Biadasz is set to become a free agent, left tackle Tyron Smith and his lengthy injury history will be 33, and even Zack Martin has suddenly looked somewhat mortal in his 10th season.

And that’s the lens through which The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler was looking when he approached the Cowboys’ initial pick in his first 2024 mock draft.

While Brugler has top playmakers like Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jayden Daniels, Brock Bowers, and Drake Maye going early to some of the weakest teams, he likes the Cowboys to stay in the trenches and add foundational youth to play alongside two-year veteran Tyler Smith, who won’t even turn 23 until April.

With the 26th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Brugler has the Cowboys selecting Graham Barton, the multi-positional lineman from Duke.

“A college left tackle, Barton is going to move inside in the NFL and projects well at either guard or center,” Brugler notes.  “This pick assumes Tyler Smith would replace Tyron Smith at left tackle, thus creating a need at left guard.”

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

The 6-foot-5-inch, 314-pound Barton certainly seems capable of filling that need. The Tennessee native was a three-star recruit when he committed to the Blue Devils and took the field in his freshman year due to injuries to the squad’s first- and second-string centers. By the end of the 2020 season, Barton was named a second team Freshman All-American by The Athletic.

His sophomore year saw him named the starter at left tackle. As a junior, he was an All-ACC first-teamer. He repeated that feat as a senior and was rated the fifth-best tackle by PFF for the 2023 season.

By bringing Barton to Dallas and coaching him up to play left guard (like they did with Tyler Smith), the Cowboys would theoretically have Dak Prescott’s blind side covered- with two first-round picks under the age of 23- for the better part of a decade.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hgge8zaq43wsrytvxb playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hgge8zaq43wsrytvxb/01hgge8zaq43wsrytvxb-9b7bb0c60b6d4103109987e2f413a6e5.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Lions draft: 10 early candidates to be Detroit’s 1st-round pick in 2024

An early look at 10 prospects who figure to appeal to the Detroit Lions with their top pick in the 2024 NFL draft

The college football season is quickly coming to an end, believe it or not. That means the draft prospect evaluation season is really starting to heat up.

Normally, the NFL draft is a bigger priority amongst Lions fans at this time of the year. And while the scouting staff has been operating like always, the success of the 7-2, first-place Lions has put the draft on the back burner for most fans.

In looking ahead at the 2024 NFL draft, which will take place in Detroit next April, the draft range for the Lions top pick figures to be in the 25-32 overall range of the first round. Picking that much later opens up a lot more possibilities for the Lions and what player(s) they might target.

Here are 10 prospects who appear to fit what the Lions want in a prospect and would fill a need on the Detroit roster. It’s just an early look at who the Lions figure to have some interest in drafting with their top pick. They are listed here in alphabetical order.

2024 NFL mock draft roundup: Ravens load up on defensive talent

We’re looking at the roundup for early 2024 NFL mock drafts and the Baltimore #Ravens are expected to pursue talent in the secondary via @Thacover2NFL

The Ravens are 3-1 and atop the AFC North, but it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL draft.

We recently looked at the mock drafts from around the country, and the consensus has Baltimore reloading on defense, especially in the secondary.

Ravens land All-ACC offensive tackle, talented SEC CB in Draft Wire’s latest 2-round mock

The Baltimore #Ravens land a talented offensive tackle, and All-SEC cornerback in Draft Wire’s latest 2 round mock draft via @Thacover2NFL

The Ravens are 2-0 and atop the AFC North, but it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL draft.

Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy recently took an updated look at the 2024 draft class with a two round mock that has Baltimore landing an offensive tackle, and a cornerback in both rounds.

Duke’s Graham Barton set for tough test against Clemson’s front seven

Duke OT Graham Barton set for tough test against Clemson’s front seven in a Monday night draft spotlight

The Labor Day Weekend slate of college football games comes to an end tonight with an ACC showdown between Clemson and Duke. 

A lot of eyes will be on Duke’s quarterback and how he fares against a Clemson defense that could have up to nine players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Duke’s Graham Barton will also have scouts flocking to Durham this fall. The Blue Devil left tackle will face a stern test right out of the gates against Clemson’s front seven, which is loaded with future players that will be playing on Sundays. 

Barton started five games at center during his first year at Duke. Over the past two seasons, Barton has started 25 games at left tackle and gave up two sacks during 13 starts last season. 

The versatile offensive lineman has excellent quickness and hits his marks out in space. He has quick feet and adequate functional strength. 

The 30-game starter will be in a battle all night against a Clemson front seven that boasts edge rusher Xavier Thomas, defensive tackles Tyler Davis, Ruke Orhorhoro, Payton Page, and linebackers Barrett Carter and Jermiah Trotter Jr.

Thomas enters his sixth and final season at Clemson with 29 tackles for loss and 15 sacks to his name. In three games last season, Thomas recorded two sacks in just three games last season as he missed time with an ankle injury. Thomas has a quick first step and showcases excellent burst to close on the quarterback. 

The duo of Davis and Orhorhoro both opted to return to school after initially accepting invites to the Senior Bowl. 

Davis finished last season with 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He explodes off the snap and collapses by driving offensive lineman back with his power. According to Pro Football Focus, Davis logged 36 pressures last season. 

Over the past two seasons, Orhorhoro has recorded 16 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. The Clemson defensive lineman is a terror for offensive lineman with his first-step quickness. He has powerful hands and is strong at the point of attack. 

Carter is a dynamic athlete with sideline-to-sideline range. He flies around the football field and has plus coverage skills, showcasing the ability to turn and run with tight ends and running backs. The Clemson linebacker finished last season with 73 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions and eight pass deflections. 

Trotter Jr., the son of long-time NFL linebacker, Jeremiah Trotter has been around the game for a long time and it shows with his instincts. He’s quick to decipher the action in front of him and explodes downhill to thwart the action in the hole. He’s always in the right place and when he arrives at the ball carrier he delivers a thud. The Clemson linebacker finished last season with 89 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two interceptions and five pass deflections.

 

2024 NFL draft: Preseason OT watch list and early rankings

The early impression and rankings for what looks like a very good OT draft class

Up next in the preseason 2024 NFL draft positional rankings and players to know: the offensive tackles. The initial impression is that this could be a very good draft year for NFL teams to need OT help from the college ranks.

These are very fluid rankings. In general, these are early impressions about the NFL potential of players who still have a considerable amount of football to play before they’re drafted. Some underclassmen are included here strictly as mentions; it is not meant to advocate for a player to leave early.

After watching enough to get a baseline feel for the players, here is an early listing and my preliminary ranking for the offensive tackles in the NFL draft class of 2024.