Why Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick Graham Barton is excited to play with Baker Mayfield

Graham Barton began his NFL Draft experience by receiving a package.

Draft hats from all 32 NFL teams arrived for him to wear whenever, and wherever, he was selected.

Tampa Bay was the one. Barton was selected No. 26 overall by the Buccaneers in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday. Barton, a Duke and Ravenwood graduate, is excited for the opportunity to join a young offensive line and quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“I’m excited to meet (Mayfield) and work with him,” Barton said. “He’s a class act, I’m excited to work with him and show him that I’m serious about this and I want to help win. I want to build a relationship with him, earn his respect, his trust and be comfortable around him and the guys.”

Barton, listed at 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, was the eighth offensive lineman selected in the first round and could start Day 1. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kuiper said Barton could have gone as high as No. 20 overall while adding he could play 12 years in the NFL and “be a Pro Bowler for half of those years.”

Barton is the third Ravenwood grad to be selected in the NFL Draft, joining Van Jefferson (L.A. Rams in 2020, second round) and Jonathan Woodard (Jacksonville in 2016, seventh round).

Barton is also the ninth player from the Nashville area to be selected in the first round, the first since Brentwood Academy’s Derek Barnett was drafted at No. 14 by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017.

At Duke, Barton played multiple positions on the offensive line. He was a center his freshman year then made the move to offensive tackle. He was announced as a center when the Buccaneers drafted him.

“Part of this whole process has been my positional flexibility,” Barton said. “I’m just going to see where I fit best and what they need most and what works best for me. I’ve been snapping for the last couple of months and feel pretty confident.”

Barton was a two-time All-American at Duke and that’s thanks to his versatility, his dependability and his aggressive mindset on the field throughout his four years with the Blue Devils.

“I’ll bring the same attitude every day,” Barton said. “I’m aggressive, I finish blocks, that’ll never change. That’s who I am.”

Austin Chastain is a high school sports writer covering West Tennessee. Reach him by email at achastain@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: 2024 NFL Draft: Graham Barton on being picked by Tampa Bay Buccaneers