Graham Barton Graded as Weak Link in Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Line
Graham Barton Graded as Weak Link in Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Line originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a huge hole to fill in the offensive line after the retirement of Ryan Jensen. Jensen was consistently one of the best at his position throughout his career.
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The team took Duke's Graham Barton with the No. 26 overall pick in 2024, hoping he could live up to the lofty standards at center that Jensen had set in place.
While Barton was a guard in college, the transition was thought to be an easy one due to his raw skills. And it was.
But in Pro Football Focus' latest rankings of NFL centers, Barton did not show well, ending up at No. 21.
"While Barton's rookie season didn't culminate in an excellent grading profile, he showcased a solid foundation. In his second season at just 24 years old, the Buccaneers center will be hoping to build on his ability as a pass protector, where he allowed just a single sack across 640 pass sets in 2024."
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Barton landed an overall grade of 55.6, which was the lowest across the Bucs' offensive line. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs earned an 82.5, left guard Ben Bredeson graded out to a 56.0, right guard Cody Mauch got a 74.6 and right tackle Luke Goedeke earned a 74.2.
Notably, Barton was graded just higher than the guy he replaced, Jacksonville's Robert Hainsey, who filled in at center before he was drafted. Hainsey earned the No. 23 spot on the list.
Kansas City's Creed Humphrey earned the top spot, followed by Baltimore's Tyler Linderbaum and Pittsburgh's Zach Frazier rounding out the top three.
Related: Analysts Mistaken About Baker Mayfield's Buccaneers Contract
Related: Buccaneers' Overlooked Veteran Praised By Rookie
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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