A converted left tackle who became the first center taken in the 2024 draft and has not missed a start since arriving in Tampa Bay.
Graham Barton spent his college career protecting the blind side at Duke, but NFL evaluators saw him as a natural fit inside at center. The Buccaneers made him a first-round pick in 2024, and he has rewarded that bet by locking down the starting job from day one and rarely leaving the field.
Path to the league
Barton played at Duke from 2020 to 2023, stepping in as an emergency starter at center as a freshman before moving to left tackle for the bulk of his college career. He earned first-team All-ACC honors in both 2022 and 2023 and was a second-team All-American as a senior. Tampa Bay drafted him 26th overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the first center selected that year.
Career highlights
Barton won the Buccaneers' starting center job over veteran Robert Hainsey right out of training camp as a rookie in 2024 and has not given it up since. Through his first two NFL seasons he started all 33 games he appeared in, an unusually durable and consistent start to a career for an interior lineman.
2025 season recap
Barton remained Tampa Bay's full-time starting center throughout 2025, continuing the iron-man streak he established as a rookie. His steady play at the pivot has been a stabilizing force for the Buccaneers' offensive line as the team looks to build around him for years to come.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Graham Barton
- Buccaneers.com: Graham Barton 2024 NFL Draft
- ESPN: Graham Barton
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Center
- Group
- offense
- College
- Duke
- Hometown
- Brentwood, TN, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
