Well, here we are. The NFL Draft season is in full force and this draft is looking to be an insane one! The Green Bay Packers find themselves drafting at pick 25 with an additional ten picks after their first rounder. Five of their eleven draft picks are in the top 100 selections.
Needless to say, the Packers are in a good position heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. But what do they do? In the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at a few different players that the Packers could possibly select.
Let’s start with Duke’s Graham Barton!
NFL Draft: Graham Barton
Graham Barton is a 21-year-old offensive linemen out of Duke. He started at center his freshman year for five games but most of the time he was at left tackle. Barton is a versatile offensive linemen. This means he should be able to play at all five positions on the line. However, most reports suggest that NFL teams mostly view him as an interior player in the NFL due to his arm length.
Because he does have some experience at center, most see him playing at the center position. Barton has received a few awards for his play on the field. This includes 2nd-team All-American in 2023 and 1st-team All-ACC in 2022 and 2023.
Does Barton Fit The Packers Mold
Absolutely he does! There are a few different factors that the Packers look for in their offensive linemen and Barton fits that mold to perfection! He is an athletic, versatile, and smart lineman who wins most of his reps in pass protection. And he has an extra benefit: he is a great run blocker!
“It’s fun to go at defenders instead of retreating…It’s about violence and about intensity. Run blocking is also an art form. You’ve got to have sound technique, you’ve got to have your hat in the right place. So you know, to be able to do that, combine it with violence and create some space for our backs to get through, it’s fun.” – Barton
The Packers normally draft offensive linemen for their ability in pass pro understanding that they can teach anyone to run block. They won’t have to do that with Barton.
NFL Draft: Barton is an Athelte
Of course, the Packers love athleticism and Barton is for sure that, athletic! Barton doesn’t seem to have enough information for a complete RAS but he did have a 4.94 second forty-yard dash time, a 4.54 shuttle time, and a 7.31 three-cone time. These are all very favorable numbers as you can see here:
Could the Packers Pick Him?
I do believe that the Packers could pick him. However, he may not be available and he isn’t the only great prospect coming out of the draft that would be a great interior offensive linemen. We already talked about Jackson-Powers Johnson here on PackersTalk and there is also Zach Frazier out of West Virginia.
Either one of those guys would be great selections and with Zach Frazier, the Packers could probably get him in the second. I think Jackson-Powers Johnson and Graham Barton are 1A or 1B and it’ll come down to who the team prefers.
Another question, that needs to be asked. Why center? Don’t the Packers already have a center in Josh Myers? And the answer is yes, but he hasn’t been the most consistent player and might do better at a guard position. Myers is also coming up on the end of his contract and the Packers may not want to extend him; they could possibly look for his replacement in the draft.
There is one last thing to consider when trying to determine if the Packers could possibly pick Graham Barton. Green Bay is not known for drafting offensive linemen in the first round. The last time the Packers drafted an offensive linemen in the first round was Derek Sherrod in 2011 and Bryan Bulaga (Iowa) in 2010. It isn’t something the Packers normally do.
The biggest hope for the Packers is that Barton falls into the 2nd round and the Packers get him at 41. I don’t think that will happen but we can dream. And that is why I say this:
Graham Barton, you are a Green Bay Packer!
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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