Seahawks 2024 Draft Profile: Graham Barton

Known for his nasty demeanor as a run blocker and top-notch athletic traits, Graham Barton could fill a number of voids for the Seattle Seahawks right away on an inexperienced offensive line.

Nov 27, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils offensive tackle Graham Barton (62) / Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2024 NFL Draft set to kick off in Detroit on Thursday, April 25, the Seattle Seahawks will look to infuse their roster with young talent as they embark on a new era under coach Mike Macdonald, starting with the 16th overall pick in the first round.

Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, I will be dishing out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board, including prospect background, strengths, weaknesses, and potential fit on Macdonald's squad.

Continuing this year's scouting series, the Seahawks have major holes to fill at both guard spots as well as potentially center. If they're considering knocking out two birds with one stone and doing so early, would a linemen with rare versatility of Duke's Graham Barton be a wise choice in the first round?

Background: A four-year letter winner at Ravenswood High School in Tennessee, Barton received three-star distinction from ESPN and Rivals.com, eventually choosing to play at Duke over several other interested programs at the FBS and FCS level. Thrust into playing time early, he stepped into the lineup at center as a true freshman, earning Second-Team Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic. He transitioned to left tackle as a sophomore and held the starting job for the next three seasons, yielding only 50 combined pressures and 10 sacks in four seasons with the Blue Devils while earning First-Team All-ACC distinction in 2022 and 2023. An injury prevented him from participating, but Barton accepted an invite to the Reese's Senior Bowl to cap off an outstanding college career.

A punishing run blocker who craves demoralizing the will of opposing defenders, Graham Barton will likely be a guard or center at the NFL level. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths: Exhibiting remarkable power and explosiveness at 6-5, 313 pounds, Barton thrives as a drive blocker off the snap with a violent, accurate punch, happily putting defenders on skates with well-sustained blocks and sending them several yards off the ball with ease. A bruiser with no quit in the run game who never tires from dishing out punishment, he's a superb pancake chef who has a knack for finishing plays by demoralizing opponents and bullying them into the ground.

It's not hard to fall in love with Graham Barton's playing style... He battles to the whistle and while his hands get outside the frame too much too often, his tenacity will endear him to teams who want to upgrade their run game. pic.twitter.com/D38A7PHLPU

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 6, 2024

Matching his 4.84 40-yard dash time from Duke's pro day on film, Barton always has his eyes on the lookout for someone to smash past the line of scrimmage and his athleticism shows up getting to the second level, where he takes excellent angles to linebackers and box safeties off combo blocks to spring backs for big runs. His burst also opens up the playbook for the offensive coordinator, as he rockets down the line on pulling assignments ready to deliver a crushing blow to unblocked ends or tackles and has the mobility to get out in front before throwing nasty blocks on screens.

A solid technician in pass protection, Barton makes up plenty of ground with his initial kick step and rarely gets beat around the edge by opposing rushers. While he can get outmuscled from outset on bull rushes, he typically recovers due to a stout anchor and powerful hands that allow him to win back control of the fight. Once he latches on, it's game over the majority of the time, as opponents have a hard time slipping past him with counters due to his grip strength and mobility mirroring.

Graham Barton tested by potential top-10 pick Jared Verse, who gets good initial push on bull rush. But to his credit, he was able to stall rush with firm anchor and recovered well. pic.twitter.com/cU7cU54dtT

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 6, 2024

Away from his physical traits, Barton has a top-tier football IQ from playing multiple positions, including starting at center for six games as a freshman for the Blue Devils. Prior to committing to Duke, he emerged as one of the nation's top linemen starring at guard in high school, and his experiences could make him a viable starter at any spot on the line in the NFL.

Weaknesses: Interestingly, considering how effective Barton performs technique-wise with his hands in the run game, hand placement in pass protection may be his biggest area to work on heading towards the NFL. He has a bad habit of allowing his hands to drift outside of the shoulder pads on opposing defenders, which contributed largely to his 13 penalties over the past two seasons, and this grabiness will undoubtedly lead to more flags in the pros if not corrected.

Though Barton usually handles upfield speed rushes with his lateral mobility and the ability to cover ground quickly, he hasn't been near as consistent when defenders slant inside against him. Exacerbating his propensity for grabbing onto shoulder pads, when he does get beat in the B-gap, he has struggled with the recovery phase, which could create an uptick in penalties and explains the desire for NFL teams to give him more consideration moving to guard or center at the next level.

Due to his aggressive nature as a run blocker, Barton can get overeager at times when he zones in on defenders at second level or on pulling assignments. Excited for the opportunity to levy a physical block on smaller defenders, he can get caught leaning and consequently miss his aiming point while off balance, allowing his target to slip past him.

Fit in Seattle: Standing out as the team's biggest question mark coming out of free agency, the Seahawks currently have only one guard on the roster with more than one game of starting experience in the NFL and second-year blocker Anthony Bradford isn't exactly a seasoned veteran either with 10 starts as a rookie a year ago. At center, Seattle also has experience concerns, as Olu Oluwatimi started just one game as a rookie and recently signed veteran Nick Harris has primarily been a backup in four prior seasons in Cleveland.

Given the dearth of experience and proven NFL talent in the middle of the Seahawks offensive line, Barton could walk into the VMAC and be a day one starter at multiple positions and should be viewed as a top candidate to select at pick 16 or after a trade down if still on the board.. Most likely, he would be in line to start across from Bradford and next to Oluwatimi at left guard, replacing departed former starter Damien Lewis in the trenches, but center shouldn't be ruled out either with his football smarts.