The Green Bay Packers will likely be targeting offensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft, and former Duke tackle Graham Barton is modeling his game after a franchise legend.
Barton has become a popular pick in recent mock drafts for the Packers with the 25th overall pick. Now, a video from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is picking up some steam after Barton told reporters that he modeled his game after former Packers All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder shared a video of Barton’s explanation via X.
Graham Barton on his visit with the Bills and how he models his game after David Bakhtiari #NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/vHm5jAg7tw
— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) March 2, 2024
“Someone the past three years I’ve watched is David Bakhtiari,” Barton told reporters. “I’ve taken a lot of influence from the way he wins his blocks. He’s athletic, you see him get off the ball very quickly…He’s someone I’ve just tried to take some influence from. Lot of respect for his game and his style of play.”
Graham Barton Is the Perfect Packers Prospect
Even if he’s not the flashiest draft prospect, Barton makes almost too much sense for a Packers team that’s notorious for drafting and developing offensive linemen.
Barton was just a 3-star recruit coming out of high school in Tennessee before committing to Duke. He left the Blue Devils as a two-time All-American and first-team All-ACC selection.
Despite being a smaller tackle at 6’5″ and 313 pounds, Barton dominated competition throughout his college career. His quickness, play strength, and competitive toughness make him a likely first-round pick, even if he lacks the ideal arm length to play offensive tackle.
The Packers tend to focus on players with great athletic testing in the draft, and Barton checks that box with ease. As a projected offensive guard, Barton posted one of the best Relative Athletic Scores (RAS) in the history of the database, ranking third out of 1,532 prospects.
Graham Barton is a OG prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.99 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 3 out of 1532 OG from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/zv1tlYy0ls pic.twitter.com/mLWEfjeSV6
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 2, 2024
Barton’s comparison to Bakhtiari makes a lot more sense given his measurements. While Barton is the superior RAS athlete, both came into the league as undersized tackle prospects projected to kick inside.
If the Packers end up taking Barton, they’ll be hoping he can have a similar career to the player he models his game after.
The Packers Need Offensive Line Help
Regardless of who they take in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Packers desperately need some depth on their offensive line.
As it currently stands, the Packers only have one backup on their depth chart with significant playing experience. That backup is Royce Newman, who some analysts believe shouldn’t make the 53-man roster for the 2024 season.
There are also concerns about the current projected starting offensive line for the Packers. Left tackle Rasheed Walker showed flashes of brilliance in his first year as the starter, but some competition in training camp could help him reach the next level in his development.
Meanwhile, offensive guard Sean Rhyan spent the second half of the season rotating in and out with Jon Runyan Jr., and it’s unclear how he’ll handle a full-time workload.
There are plenty of questions on Green Bay’s offense line, so don’t be surprised if general manager Brian Gutekunst makes adding depth to the line a priority in this year’s draft.
