It’s never too early to start thinking about the NFL draft, especially with the Super Bowl now in the rearview mirror.
Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton still needs to get through the pre-draft process, including the NFL Combine at the end of February, but the NFL Mock Draft Database has kept a close eye on his traction from draft experts, and the same four teams show up routinely.
A scroll through Barton’s recent spots in national mock drafts show almost every team between 20th and 32nd in the first round. In fact, the Blue Devil is so spread out that the site’s consensus mock draft has him listed as one of the few players without a majority landing spot in the first round. However, the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Fransisco 49ers, and Green Bay Packers appear more than anyone else.
The numbers are backed up by some recent big names, too. PFF’s Trevor Sikemma and ESPN’s Field Yates gave Barton to Tampa Bay in their recent projections, and The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak tracked Barton to Green Bay in his first-round mock.
As the draft order stands right now, the Dolphins own the 21st pick. Green Bay follows at 25th, with Tampa Bay one spot behind them at 26th. The 49ers own the 31st pick, the second-to-last selection of opening night.
The site tracks Barton as the 30th-ranked player in the 2024 class, according to an average of the big boards in its database, and the Duke lineman is selected in the first round of 53.6% of the mock drafts tracked.