Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers First-Round Pick Takes Pride in Physicality

Promising center Graham Barton made his presence felt during his first NFL game experience.

Collin Haalboom

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Graham Barton (62) react after he scored a touchdown in the second quarter of the NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Graham Barton (62) react after he scored a touchdown in the second quarter of the NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 10, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
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It was just a preseason game, sure. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that Saturday’s contest between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals was the first opportunity for Bucs’ first-round pick Graham Barton to see live game action vs. an NFL opponent.

Barton didn’t play the entire game, but when he was on the field, he was impressive. 

After the game, Barton took a few minutes to reflect on his first NFL game experience. 

“Surreal being out there. Surreal putting on a Bucs uniform and getting out there with my teammates. You know, just excited for what the future holds. I think it was a promising first week.”

READ MORE: Extra Point: Top Takeaways From Bucs' Preseason Win Over Bengals

Although Barton acknowledged that things went well, he also made a point of emphasizing that there is much work to be done. 

“Working on communicating and trying to be that center of communication for our team, for our offensive line. So I think I did a good job tonight. I think you know, obviously I have got a lot of things to continue to improve on. Continue to sharpen up. And just continue to be more consistent and chase that every day.”

Another encouraging sign from this first preseason game was the success the Buccaneers had running the football. It’s something they’ve struggled with mightily in recent years, and according to Barton, it’s something this year’s team will take pride in. 

“We’re going to take pride in our rushing attack. We’re going to take pride in being more physical than our opponent. I think that’s got to be the identity for our offensive line," Barton said. "We’ve got to be violent at the point of attack, we’ve got to move people off the ball, and be able to set up our pass game. I think we showed glimpses of that tonight and that we’re going to be able to do that hopefully. So that’s going to be something we’re going to continue to build on.”

Again, it’s very early, but it appears as though Tampa Bay’s first-round pick is saying and doing all the right things. His attitude, physicality, athleticism, and intelligence — all of which were on display during the team’s first preseason game — should go a long way toward improving the Bucs’ offensive line play in 2024. 

READ MORE: Studs and Duds From the Bucs' Preseason Win Over Bengals

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Collin Haalboom

COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.