GENERAL MANAGER JASON LICHT, HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES, AND CENTER GRAHAM BARTON

(Opening Statement)

Jason Licht: "Todd [Bowles] and I, and our staffs, are super excited to introduce Graham [Barton]. For all the things I said last night about him, I'll kind of say them one more time. He's the epitome of what we look for in this culture that we're building here – that Todd wants and we want here – to lead our draft class [and] not only lead our draft class, but to lead our team. We're all depending on that O-Line room, so the addition of him to that O-Line room is going to help us out tremendously."

(Opening Statement)

Todd Bowles: "Again, echoing what Jason [Licht] said, he fits the prototype of what we're looking for – big, fast, and strong. It'll be a great competition down there, obviously. We've got a pretty young group down there, and we've got a lot more beef in the middle where we can beef up and kind of keep people off the quarterback from coming up the gut. He's a guy we sought highly coming into the draft and he kind of came to us, so we were ecstatic to have him."

(Opening Statement)

Graham Barton: "[I am] excited to be here, I'm ready to work, I'm ready to be a [Buccaneer] and get to know this locker room and kind of earn the respect of my teammates and just get to work."

(On the comparisons that Jason Licht made of Barton in referencing former Buccaneers Ali Marpet and Ryan Jensen, plus current LT Tristan Wirfs)

GB: "Obviously, I haven't played a snap in this league yet, so I have a lot of work to do to even be half as good as those guys, but I'm just excited for the opportunity. I appreciate their belief in me as a player and as a person. [I am] excited, like I said, to just get to work with these guys and prove them right and prove that they made the right decision and win some football games and be a part of this culture."

(On what position he focuses on when he watches film)

GB: "Obviously, playing left tackle the last three years in college, [I was] just trying to keep the main thing the main thing. I watched a lot of tackles, obviously trying to do my best at the position I'm at at the time. Obviously, I played center my true freshman year at Duke and watched a lot of guys. I watched Ben Jones – someone I've talked to throughout this process – watched a lot of him. I watched some Joe Thuney – his base and how he plays. I think [those guys] are [PEOPLE] I've looked up to as far as interior offensive line play. Being a tackle, one of the main guys I studied – especially as I grew into the position at left tackle at Duke – was David Bakhtiari. I just think [we have] similar measurables and similar athletic ability. He was someone I took a lot of influence from [in terms of] getting off the ball quick, getting to landmarks, and matching people at different angles. [He is] someone I've at least tried to get some inspiration from. I'm obviously always looking to find more and more guys to study and watch a lot of different players."

(On if first-round offensive linemen are successful at a higher rate than other positions and if there's a reason why)

JL: "I think a little bit of that is the really good ones are hard to find, so teams aren't going to give up on them [really] quick. We're going to give them every opportunity to make the team and to make an impact for us. We have a lot of confidence in Graham – the skillset and the person is what we were looking for. I think we've hit on another one with him. Our scouts were on him – Tony Hardie and Brian McLaughlin – very early in the process. We had a long time to study and dissect him and there were very few holes that we could poke in him."

(On the amount of contact the Buccaneers had with Barton during the pre-draft process)

JL: "We talked to him at the combine – unfortunately, I was out of that meeting [and] I was tending to another meeting with, I think, Mike Evans' agent. It was probably a good idea to do that one [laughs]. Then, a few other Zoom [interviews] that Graham has had with our coaches [were] really the extent of it. Some of these players like Graham [with] the sources that we have, the scouts that we have that get the information to us, there [are] very few questions that we had for him about him as a person because we know what kind of a guy he is."

(On the impact that the addition of a player like Barton will have on the Buccaneers)

TB: "I think it beefs us up on the inside. We haven't had the bulk in there since [Ali] Marpet left, obviously, and Ryan [Jensen] left and [Alex] Cappa left. Bringing size in there, getting a little bit over 300, 305 [pounds], getting a bigger guy, a taller guy, with some girth in there [and] trying to not let people go up the middle as much. I think it'll help us that way."

(On the 'Dirt Devils' offensive line position group nickname at Duke University)

GB: "Not to take the credit, but it was my idea [laughs]. Basically, Adam Cushing was my offensive line coach at Duke my last two years and he would come in every year and say, 'Okay, what's going to be our identity this year? What are we going to build our identity around? Let's come up with a name, let's come up with a name for our room that we're going to refer to when we need the attitude, we need a little extra toughness, we need some grit.' Everyone is throwing out names and nothing is really sticking and then I was trying to get things that [were alliterative] and I said dirt devils and everyone booed it [and] made fun of me because it's a vacuum. It's like, 'So what does that mean? We suck? [laughs]' I kept hammering it, kept referring to it at times of opportunity to make a joke or something and then it just kind of stuck. By the end of the year, us and the quarterback room all have dirt devil t-shirts. In all seriousness, we just had such a great position room and that identity was all about toughness and grit and playing through hard stuff. We had guys go in and out of the rotation with injury and just people battling and finishing every play, finishing through the whistle, playing with violence. That was just who we were at Duke – what we decided we were going to play each snap with. The dirt devil name kind of just encompassed all of that. [It was] a fun identity, but really spoke to who we were as a unit."

(On why he chose to stay at Duke when he had the opportunity to go elsewhere)

GB: "I think, first and foremost, I think I've always told myself [that] I don't play football to make money – that's just a byproduct of working really hard. I play football because I love football. I want to continue to chase that success. Duke was the best situation for me. I loved my head coach, I loved my position coach, I loved my strength coach, I loved my teammates. My best friends are my teammates in that locker room coming from Duke, so there was no reason for me to leave and there was no amount of money that would've drawn me away. That will come if you stay true to who you are and your process. That really wasn't a concern for me. I knew I was in the right situation for me as a football player. Obviously, there was some interest, but I really chose not to entertain it."

(On why he majored in public policy at Duke and how he plans to use that to make an impact)

JL: "I wouldn't say I chose Duke because of the education piece of it, I think I chose Duke because of the people at that university. I kind of fell in love with the idea of such a high-achieving university in athletics, in the classroom, the students, the professors. Everyone has got a really cool story at Duke, and it's a lot of high-achieving people. I think public policy was a major I was drawn to through some of those people. I enjoyed it because you study a lot of different fields in the context of the public sector. It's economics, it's psychology, it's a lot of business, but you just get a wide range of topics. It was a side interest and I felt like I could handle that and still keep football the 'priority.' That was kind of what led me down that path."

(On Barton joining a team that has added a lot of ACC players in the past two seasons and if he has played against any of his new teammates while in college)

GB: "I did play [Yaya] Diaby my sophomore year – my first year at left tackle – and it wasn't super fun. He is pretty good, so I'm glad he's on my team. I just think it speaks to the ACC and the amount of talent in that league. Every week you're playing really talented players and you've got to bring your best every week. I think the ACC… obviously, it's an entirely different level here, but I definitely got to experience some of that talent level in competition in the ACC."

(On if it is important to build an offensive line through the NFL Draft to fit your system)

TB: "I think, for me, it is because they're not going to let most great offensive linemen be free agents. They're going to be taken up and they're going to cost a lot of money, so you're not going to be able to get those. In order to draft them, our guys do a great job – Jason [Licht], 'Spy' (John Spytek), [Mike] Biehl and all the rest of them – of identifying what kind of guys we need and how to get them in here. They're not necessarily first-rounders all of the time, [but] guys at least we can groom that fit the traits, and that gives us a chance to kind of build it from within. I think that's important for us."

(On what Barton knows about the scheme and how he can fit into it)

GB: "Yeah, I don't have a playbook – I just got here a few hours ago. I think more for me – kind of how they alluded to it – it's about fitting the person and finding the right people to mesh together. You can teach scheme, you can teach install and you can coach players, but you can't necessarily change their make-up as a person and who they are. I think that's step one. I met a few guys today and I'm just excited to grow those relationships and allow the coaches to coach me and allow them to fit me into the scheme where they see [that] I can best help and go from there."

(On Barton being a seemingly mild-mannered person and where he gets his 'nastiness' from as a player)

GB: "When I'm out there, I'm not like angry at anyone. I'm still mild-mannered, but it's more about a love for football and a love for offensive line play. It's not that it's anything personal. To me, it's about making the right block, displacement and violence – that's how the offensive line position should look, and I take a lot of pride in making sure I'm doing that to the best of my ability. You can only play this game so long, so it's like, why waste a snap? Every rep is foot on the gas. I think that's kind of why I play with that nastiness and that violence, just because of the passion I have for the game, how much I love it and just how much I appreciate the opportunity to do this. I think that's more where it comes from."

(On Bowles' reaction watching the NFL Draft unfold and knowing the team wanted to upgrade the interior offensive line)

TB: "Obviously, we were a little nervous the closer we got to it. There were a couple teams that we thought had certain needs and they kind of went different directions. And there was a trade or two made before us. As it kind of got around pick No. 24, we kind of felt like we had a shot at it and then it kind of fell into fruition when we got him at No. 26, so we're extremely happy."

(On Bowles' reaction to the Atlanta Falcons drafting QB Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall)

TB: "It doesn't concern me until we play them."

(On Barton receiving the phone call that he was going to be selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

GB: "I'm sitting in the living room, and I've got some friends and family around, and some friends outside. The later you get in the Draft, the quieter and more tense the room gets, so I decided to go step outside. Some of my buddies were just out there watching the TV and messing around, so I just stood out there, got some fresh air and wanted to relax and laugh with them for a second. Then, all of the sudden, I look down [at my phone] and it says Tampa, Florida, and so I ran back inside, sat down and just took the call. The wave of emotions – it comes front and center of just years, and years, and years of work and dedication. It kind of culminates in that moment. It was pretty surreal. It's kind of still setting in. It's been quite the last 24 hours, so I'm just really grateful for having those people around me and enjoying that moment with people I really care about."

(On the video that Duke put out with Barton's parents after he was selected in the NFL Draft and what it meant to him)

GB: "Yeah, it definitely brings the emotions out. My parents have been there every step of the way. They've taken me to practice, they've signed me up for every different sport, [they've] pushed me, fed me, they've been a huge part of this process, and I wouldn't be anywhere near here without them. So, just to hear them share that message and how proud they are – it's just a special moment for the family, for sure."

(On Barton's thoughts on playing with Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield)

GB: "Excited. I hear he is a great guy and a great leader, so [I'm] just ready to get to know him and build that relationship, and obviously, earn his respect and show him that I'm here to help win and help build this culture. I think just earning that respect and starting to build that relationship will obviously be a big priority for me and for this team."

(On people saying in Tampa Bay that Mayfield is like an offensive lineman in a quarterback's body)

GB: "Yeah, I mean he's definitely got some moxie. You've seen that going back to his days in college. You can see on TV just the competitor he is and the natural leader he is, so [I'm] just excited to be able to be a part of a team with a guy like that at the helm."

(On if Barton is eyeing jersey No. 62 with the Buccaneers)

GB: "Yeah, I mean obviously I'd like to stay consistent with numbers, for me at least. To be honest with you, there's no rhyme or reason I had to 62. At Duke, it was either 62 or 69, so I took 62 and I was just stuck with it for four years and will probably continue with that."

JL: "Todd gave him 62 already."

(On if Barton has a message for Buccaneers fans)

GB: "I'm just excited to get to work. I'm excited to contribute to this already-winning culture and take that next step. I'm excited to play in a city like Tampa Bay [where] football clearly means a lot to a lot of people down here. I can't say enough about what I've seen so far of Tampa Bay and this organization. I could not be more excited to be here and a part of this organization."

-BUCCANEERS-