Bucs Gameday

Fans React To Tampa Bay Buccaneers Selecting Duke C Graham Barton in First Round

Fans were stoked about Tampa Bay's newest addition.

Caleb Skinner

Nov 18, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils offensive tackle Graham Barton (62)
Nov 18, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils offensive tackle Graham Barton (62) / Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the 2024 NFL Draft with a ton of options targeted with the 26th overall pick. As the draft played out it looked likely they would really have the pick of the litter, but as the pick approached many of those guys came off the board.

One of their positions of need was interior offensive line, and they were able to accomplish that by picking up Duke's Graham Barton.

Barton possesses exactly what Jason Licht and company were looking for in an offensive lineman — a passionate leader who is explosive out of his stance and can hold his own at pretty much any position along the line. He projects as an interior offensive lineman, and it appears that the Buccaneers will want to move him to the center position and move Robert Hainsey back to his natural guard position.

Overall, the Bucs could have made a number of moves with the pick, even moving back into the second round to acquire more draft capital. However, Licht knew who he wanted and the type of guy he wanted to bring into the organization, and Barton was just that.

The pick could have gone any way, but it appears that Bucs' fans are extremely happy with the pick as he will help open up the run game that has been drastically missing something the past two seasons.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.

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Caleb Skinner
CALEB SKINNER

Caleb is from Nashville, TN and graduated from Florida State University in 2018 with majors in Sociology and History. He has previously written for an FSU outlet and started covering the Buccaneers in March of 2022. Caleb is an avid sports fan and former host of the Tribeoholics podcast. You can follow Caleb on Twitter @chsnole