Duke football lineman Graham Barton selected in the first round of the NFL Draft

Graham Barton became Duke’s first player selected in the NFL Draft in three years and the program’s third first-round pick in the last 10 drafts.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Barton in Thursday night’s first round, securing him with the No. 26 overall pick.

“I play with grit, I play with toughness,” Barton said after being drafted. “I have a passion for this sport. I truly love what I do. I think I show that on tape. I don’t think anything’s going to change going from Duke to Tampa Bay. I’m going to bring that same attitude every day. I’m aggressive. I finish blocks. That will never change.”

Barton, a 6-5, 313-pound offensive lineman, started games in all four seasons of his Duke career, beginning in 2020 when he started five games at center. He became a mainstay at left tackle, starting 34 games there over the last three seasons. He was named first-team, all-ACC each of the last two seasons.

“He’s got the tools to do it all,” Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht said Thursday night during a news conference. “He’s a very athletic guy. He plays with a great base, he plays with a good anchor and he plays with a nasty temperament. Those are all ingredients we look for in our offensive line.”

NFL scouts projected Barton to be an interior offensive lineman at the professional level, with center considered his strongest position.

“We had him at center, but he can play guard,” Licht said. “He’s done a pretty damn good job of playing tackle, too, so there’s a lot of versatility there with him, too. He’s got a tenacious playing style that we like. He’s a very good athlete, a very good technician.”

Duke had not seen one of its players picked in the NFL Draft since four players were selected in 2021. Barton joins quarterback Daniel Jones (the No 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft) and offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson (the 28th overall pick in 2015 by Detroit) as Duke’s most-recent first-round picks. Jones remains with the New York Giants, the team that drafted him, while Tomlinson is now with the Seattle Seahawks.

From Brentwood, Tennessee, Barton arrived at Duke in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He played his first two seasons under coach David Cutcliffe and the last two under Cutcliffe’s successor, Mike Elko.

Last summer, between his junior and senior seasons, NFL scouts regularly attended Duke’s August practices and were impressed by Barton’s work.

“It’s so easy to talk to scouts about him because he checks every box,” Adam Cushing, Duke’s offensive line coach the last two seasons, told the N&O last year. “He already operates like a pro taking care of his body.”

Barton originally thought he’d play lacrosse in college because he was such a strong player early in his high school years. But when he grew and added strength, his football coaches placed him at left tackle and he dominated.

“And from there, you know, the rest is history,” Barton said last year.

That history now includes Barton becoming a first-round pick in the NFL.

Late Thursday night, he said his experience playing sports other than football helped him achieve first-round pick status.

“It’s the reason I’m talking to you guys right now,” Barton said during a Zoom press conference. “My athletic ability helps me get off the ball, helps me get to my landmarks. It’s what I’ve built my game around and I’ll continue to build my game around my athletic ability.”