Buccaneers center Graham Burton, the team’s first-round draft pick, faces an interesting challenge entering the NFL. As if figuring out how to play at the NFL level wasn’t enough, he’ll also be moving to a position where he’ll get fewer playing times. Burton is taking it all in stride. Since coming to Tampa Bay He understands that development at the center position is a process. Playing offensive line at the pro level is one thing, but playing center and being the anchor of the line comes with some nuances.
Graham Barton takes on centre-field role
“It’s probably a little bit more of a mental strain than guard or tackle,” Graham-Barton said. “It’s like preparing an offensive lineman to make a play. It starts with the identification and the calls. It’s a little bit more of a strain, but offensive line positions are [in] The NFL as a whole has a bigger mental toll that people don’t necessarily realize.
“You get a lot of hits from different defenses throughout the year and you have to be able to block them all. [on] “Whatever the play is. I think it’s going to take some time to adjust to it, but I think it’s going well and I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and keep learning and keep growing and keep adapting to this offense. I think it’s going well so far.”
Graham Burton is responsible for calling all the shots on the offensive line and identifying the details of the defense. That’s a given, but it’s why the Buccaneers drafted him in the first round. The more practice the better.
“I think it’s coming together,” Burton said of understanding the offense. “There’s still a lot of relationships to build and trust to develop. That comes through practice and repetition. I think it will happen eventually, but it’s something you’ve got to keep working on as a center. Communicating well and being loud and clear is going to be a focus for me. It’s definitely something I’ve got to keep working on.”
If anyone on the Buccaneers’ roster can sympathize with the Graham-Barton move at all, it’s Ben Bredeson, a fifth-year veteran who joined the Buccaneers for the first time. Graham-Barton played primarily as a left tackle and occasional center at Duke. Last season alone, Bredeson played left guard, center and right guard for the Giants.
Bredeson is expected to start at left guard. This season, That puts him in line alongside Barton, who reported on the development of the former first-round draft pick.
“Being a center in the NFL is tough, especially as a rookie,” Bredeson said. “The mental toughness of playing an NFL offense is a lot bigger than people realize, especially when the defense is coming at you with their front line. [not] “He’s been scouted and everyone is watching to figure him out. Graham has a lot of talent and is developing well. He’s learning a lot. He’s got a lot of experience so far in the first two weeks of camp.”
Ben Bredeson helping Graham Burton
Graham Barton’s biggest improvement has been gaining the vocal presence that is so desired from any centre in the league.
“I think he’s made great strides, especially [because] “He was a tackle coming out of college,” Ben Bredeson said, “we’ve been working with him through OTAs and the first two weeks of camp and he’s progressed well so far.”
Burton deserves a lot of credit for the whole project. Offensive Line Room He expressed gratitude to Bredeson for helping him develop over the past three months, but when asked about Bredeson specifically, he detailed how important and influential Bredeson has been to his development.
“Ben’s been really great for me, especially coming into OTAs and still is,” Burton said. “When he’s at left guard and I’m at center, he gives me that veteran presence and really helps me out at the line of scrimmage. Obviously, he’s spent some time in New York as a center, so he has a lot of experience.”
“He’s been around a lot of years, he’s been around a lot of different people, he’s played for a lot of different teams, so just having that kind of experience and a veteran next to you at the line of scrimmage really helps. He really understands my position and how new I am at the position, so that helps me a lot. I can’t say enough about Ben, I can’t express how much he’s helped me.”