Graham Barton, OT, Duke
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 313
Arm Length: 32 ⅞
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Pros
- Light feet and fluid mover in the open field.
- Does a good job getting his hands on and establishing a firm grip.
- Very consistent at setting his anchor in pass protection.
- Fires off the ball with awareness and intent.
- Good upper body strength to lockout and redirect rushers.
- Does a good job keeping his legs moving when run blocking.
Cons
- Arm length is below average for an offensive tackle.
- Has trouble identifying wrap around blitzes.
- Experiences difficulty against rushers with a good first step.
Notes
- Played center at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
- Academic All-ACC in 2021 and 2022.
- First-team All-ACC in 2022 and 2023.
Overview
The starting left tackle for the Duke Blue Devils, Graham Barton decided to show off his versatility at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl by moving inside to center. While LT is where the bulk of his snaps are, many forget that Barton started five games at center for Duke in 2020.
Despite his below average length for an OT, Barton did a more than decent job at getting his hands on first. From this, he did a good job establishing his grip to then lockout and redirect defenders. Each snap, Barton fires off the ball with intent. Whether it’s in the run or passing game, Barton is very conscious of what he needs to do. When run blocking, he does a very good job keeping his legs moving. But when pass blocking, he’s also very consistent at dropping his anchor. In the open field, it’s obvious Barton is an easy mover. When working on screens, reach blocks, and moving to the second level, Barton is very fluid and is light on his feet.
Still, his arm length will always be below average, which could call for a move to the interior. More so, another thing that strengthens the call for him to be moved inside is the difficulty he experiences against rushers with a good first step. Lastly, Barton also has trouble identifying blitzers wrapping around the line of scrimmage from a couple gaps over.
Nevertheless, Graham Barton was still one of the most successful blind-side tackles in college football as Duke surprised many fans this year. However, it’s difficult to imagine that this success will transfer easily to the NFL. It isn’t that he isn’t capable of playing tackle at a high level, rather that he’s a great player whose skills could be magnified on the interior.
My Two Cents
Graham Barton is a phenomenal talent who’s draft stock is hindered by his length. While Chargers’ tackle Rashawn Slater has been proving his critics wrong, his footwork and technique was well ahead of Barton’s coming out of Northwestern. Still, Barton has the talent and potential to be selected in the later first round.
For more football content click here.
