From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Duke OL Graham Barton.
#62 GRAHAM BARTON/LT DUKE – 6053, 313 POUNDS (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Graham Barton | 6053/313 | 9 3/8 | 32 7/8 | 79 3/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| DNP | DNP | DNP |
THE GOOD
– Grip strength is superb and noticeable on every rep
– Consistently displays physicality and effort
– Never takes a play off
– Very good core strength to combat powerful rushers
– Teach-tape technique keeping his head up, torquing his back, and jolting defenders on initial contact
– Good ankle flexibility and bend to handle speed and wide-rush alignments
– Shows a very patient approach to planning his motor movements
– Excellent body control when doing kick-out or combination blocks
– Able to get out in space quickly and constantly keeps his feet moving
– Always looking for more work after displacing or handing off defenders
– His pass sets are very technically sound; shows a great, wide base
– Great mirroring ability to stay with every type of rusher and rush plan
– Has the upper- and lower-body strength to anchor or drive defenders easily
– If he gets his hands on you or is set up in pass pro, he wins almost every time
– Above-average lateral quickness in the run game; gets to his spots quickly in pass pro
– Teammates rave about his leadership skills, desire to constantly work on his game, and the motivation to get better all the time
THE BAD
– Lack of ideal arm length shows up against long-limbed defenders and long-arm moves
– Will most likely have to move inside in the NFL with well below-average arm length for an OT
– Loses control of his body at times at the second level
– Doesn’t consistently time his hand strikes well in pass-pro sets
– Can drift too far if doing vertical sets, causing him lose balance or redirect
– Difficulty with inside moves
BIO
– Born 6/1/2002 (21 years old)
– 39 career starts (5 at C, 34 at LT)
– 2,569 snaps (430 at C; 2,134 at LT)
– 2022 and 2023 first-team All-ACC selection
– 2021-2023 Academic All-ACC selection
– Three-star HS prospect by ESPN.com, 247Sports.com and Rivals.com
– 247Sports.com No. 14 OG in the nation
– Tennessee HS state championship in 2019
– Lettered two years in lacrosse in HS
TAPE BREAKDOWN
There are some guys you watch on the football field who embody what their position should like with athleticism, power, mindset, and technique. Graham Barton marries all of these characteristics and forged his own path at Duke as the Blue Devils’ stalwart left tackle for the past three years and one year at center. His Duke teams consistently showed a great balance of a zone-based rushing attack and aerial assault in all areas of the field due in large part to his consistent efforts and improvement. He has a propensity for overpowering and getting rid of defenders with his strength and has knockback power and overwhelming grip strength. In the six games that I watched of him, there was rarely a time when an opponent was able to get Barton off balance or shed his block if he got his hands on them.
This was one of the first things that you see from Barton when you break down his film that showcases his greatest attributes: physicality, consistency, relentlessness, and never taking a play off. He thrives in down-blocking situations like these. Watch him seal and drive upcoming first-round draft pick Jared Verse (Florida State edge rusher) as well on this run-blocking rep.
He is No. 62, the left tackle, in these clips:
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 13, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
When he is on the backside, he is able to get low to the ground and drive guys downhill in a hurry. At the second level, Barton is adept at anticipating angles to cut off defenders and always finishes his blocks. He shows an innate and technical ability to know how and when to climb and also when to feed his blockers down the line. Barton uses his short-area quickness to his advantage by getting his hands on opponents quickly, lifting and steering where he wants them to go, and finishing blocks efficiently to create wide rush lanes in the Blue Devils’ zone-based scheme.
Barton is able to utilize a lot of different techniques and sets in a game for his pass-pro reps. He frequently uses a jump set or diagonal set when setting vertically and can also utilize multiple different sets during one play if he chooses to. His ability to get down the field out of his pass pro stance and engulf defenders once he sees them is very impressive. There are many examples of him doing this on film but watch Barton run clear down the line to pancake an unsuspecting guy. This is the kind of effort, power, and enthusiasm that would make an OL coach need to go take a cold shower.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
There are difficulties that every LT faces when playing on an island and Barton is no exception to that. In particular, when a defender hits him with a long-arm move or inside counters, he will display difficulty staying balanced and maintaining leverage. He does an adequate job on this pass-pro rep of staying upright and kicking the defender away from the pocket as much as he can, but there are examples on film where guys get the better of him, and he isn’t able to recover as easily.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
One of the other noticeable traits technique-wise that Barton showed was an ability to mirror pass-rushers. He is able to kick out quickly to his landmark and also shows anticipation skills in stalling edge rushers who want to bend around him or look for inside counters.
Barton was asked to come in during Week 7 of his freshman year in 2020 to play center. He did have experience playing guard in high school. He showed some promise with his power, effort, and sustainability in both run and pass-pro situations. However, there were more times than not where defenders would get under his pads, he would lose his balance and end up on the ground and struggled with bull rushes. There is a bit of projection when trying to determine if he will be best utilized at guard or center in the NFL due to his limited experience at Duke of handling those duties. His game and technique were not nearly as refined as they currently are. He tended to play at a lot higher pad level, tended to duck his head on pass sets, and did not have nearly the hand strike timing that he does now.
Here is an example of Barton (No. 62 at the center position) really showing his ability to send off DT and get to the second level quickly and with tenacity. The guy just knows how to finish off plays with maximum effort.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
In a wide or inside-zone scheme, Barton knows how to pull easily, and I believe that this trait can definitely translate to his playing on the interior at the next level. Watch his feet here move in synchronicity with his body. He knows how to take the proper angle to spring the running not only to the outside but then redirect his body to get to another defender, allowing him to cut back inside. Barton is always trying to find work.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 14, 2024
CONCLUSION
I came away highly impressed with Barton’s dedication to his craft, his passion for football, the effort he plays with, and the desire to continually improve. His consistency is what sets him apart from his peers, and he shows exceptional athleticism and physicality that will translate to the pro game. Barton can be overwhelming for opponents more often than not. He is a positionally versatile player who has significant experience playing as a left tackle, but his lack of length will most likely kick him inside to guard or center at the NFL level.
He does have experience playing at both interior spots on the offensive line albeit his guard experience coming in high school, and his traits bode well for his transition. I was really looking forward to him playing multiple positions at the Senior Bowl, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to attend the event. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, I don’t just think that this guy will be on their radar. I think he will be a guy they have firmly in their crosshairs because of his high-end athleticism, power, toughness, effort, and experience playing multiple positions. Sometimes there are guys in the draft who just scream Steeler. To me, Barton is that type of guy. He is more than capable of playing center and his strengths align very well for the position. I think there is still a lot of room for growth for Barton, and some of his pass pro issues could be mitigated with a move to the interior.
For an NFL comparison, I see a lot of similarities to Justin Pugh and Zack Martin coming out of college in Barton’s game. Guys who also struggled with a lack of length playing offensive tackle in college but transitioned very well to playing on the interior in the NFL. Barton is a prospect who I think is ready to come in and make an immediate impact on a team’s offensive line with the possibility of him making a Pro Bowl within his first contract.
Projection: Mid-Late Day One
Depot Draft Grade: 8.8 – 1st Year Quality Starter (First Round)
Games Watched: at Florida State (2023), at Louisville (2023), at Boston College (2022), vs. North Carolina (2022), vs. Miami (2020) at Florida State (2020)
