When the Eagles drafted Derek Barnett with the 14th pick overall five years ago, all we heard about was how he broke all of Reggie White’s records at Tennessee.
Barnett didn’t quite turn out to be the next Reggie White.
Barnett had 21 ½ sacks in five seasons with the Eagles. White once had 21 sacks in 12 games in one season.
Barnett’s career never really got going. He wound up with more penalties than sacks in five years in Philly, and as he explores free agency, we thought it would be fun to look back at what all the draft experts were saying about him before the Eagles made him the 14th pick in the 2017 draft.
Most of them raved about Barnett, but there were a couple doubters, whose words seem prescient today.
We’re not trying to embarrass anybody, and these are all highly respected draft experts who clearly did their homework. But it is fascinating to look back five years later and take a look at what each of them saw in Barnett heading into the draft.
Previously, we looked back at what the scouts said about Jalen Reagor before the 2020 draft and what they said about J.J. Arcega-Whiteside before the 2019 draft.
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
“Strong edge presence with NFL-caliber hand usage and play strength. Barnett is one of the most productive defensive linemen to come out of the SEC in quite some time despite lacking the length and twitch that teams usually look for off the edge. His awareness and play traits should keep him near the action and he has the talent to step into a starting base end spot right away.”
Comment: Zierlein, like many of the draft analysts, recognized Barnett’s lack of length and twitch. He did not realize what a handicap it would wind up being.
NFL Mocks, Sayre Bedinger
“Derek Barnett is one of the best pure pass rushers in the entire draft class. His greatest asset is his relentless motor, but this is a player that can really get around the edge in a hurry. Barnett has playmaking skills from the defensive end position, and he can apply pressure from both the right defensive end spot (his primary position) or the left defensive end spot. He also showed he can drop into coverage on occasion and showed phenomenal timed quickness in the three-cone drill at the Scouting Combine. More than anything else, Barnett’s effort, grit, and hustle shine in every game I watched.”
Comment: Motor? Sure. Three-cone drill? Whatever. Drop into coverage? Ha. Get around the edge in a hurry? Nah.
SI.com, Chris Burke
“The production in college was special. Barnett recorded double-digit sacks in all three of his seasons at Tennessee, and he averaged 17.3 tackles for loss per year. He was such a force in the backfield that teams would hammer the opposite side of the line, rather than run right at him—Alabama did this, to a degree, even though it had first round-bound tackle Cam Robinson to block Barnett. He’s not a massive edge presence (6' 3", 259 pounds), but he plays with enough force to be able to hold the line. And as a pass rusher, it’s an effort-technique combo that gets the job done for him. When Barnett times the snap, he has the quickness to bend the edge and meet the QB at the top of his drop; when he’s met with a blocker, he unleashes an effective rip move to pull himself clear with his hands.”
Comment: Burke made the same mistake so many draft analysts (and the Eagles) made, projecting Barnett’s college production into the NFL. Never happened. Never came close to happening.
Bleacher Report (no writer listed)
“As great as Barnett is, he's not a generational prospect like (Myles) Garrett. He's an excellent all-around pass-rusher who can handle himself against the run and showed occasional ability to drop into coverage without needing a roadmap. He lacks an array of technical moves, however. … He's not Reggie White. But there are Mike Mamulas lurking in this draft, and Barnett is not that, either. He'll fit the system, upgrade the pass rush and not get pushed around.”
Comment: Bleacher Report sure nailed Garrett being a better edge prospect in 2017. Garrett went No. 1 overall and has 58.5 sacks in five years – nearly three times as many as Barnett. They were wrong about the Mamula comparison. Mike had 31 ½ sacks in his first five seasons – 10 more than Barnett.
CBS Sports, Pete Prisco
“Barnett gets dogged for not being athletic enough, which is a bizarre thing to be concerned about for a guy who has the pass-rushing chops that Barnett does. Ever heard of a guy named Reggie White? He was pretty good, and Barnett broke his Tennessee record for sacks in a career, finishing with 33 for his career. He's got a non-stop motor and outstanding hands. If he'd tested better, we'd have been talking about him going even higher.”
Comment: OK, you should just never ever write: “Ever heard of a guy named Reggie White?” unless you’re really sure you want to make that comparison. Maybe that concern about Barnett’s athleticism wasn’t that bizarre after all.
CheeseHeadTV, Abraham Jaroszewski
“While Barnett showcases many traits that make him a great pass rusher, the first one that immediately jumps off the screen is his speed off the edge. Most of his pressures and in turn sacks came as a speed rusher to the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle, displaying elite burst to beat the tackle out of his stance before getting to the quarterback. Few players enter the draft with a more proven track-record of sacking the quarterback. But despite his illustrious sack totals, Barnett’s pass rush leads to more questions than answers. While his speed rush and hand usage are terrific, he does not have much in the way of counter moves and lacks the ability to overpower his opponents. The latter in particular draws into question whether or not he can win in the NFL consistently as purely a speed rusher.”
Comment: Dude nailed it. Jaroszewski was one of the few draft analysts who recognized that Barnett’s crazy college production was likely not going to translate into the NFL. Note to Eagles: Hire Abraham Jaroszewski.
Dane Brugler, CBS Sports
“Unlike most productive pass rushers, Barnett lacks explosive traits, but makes up for his methodical burst with powerful hands and off-the-charts awareness to consistently be in the right place at the right time. Although he doesn’t have a high pro ceiling as a pass rusher due to his average athleticism, Barnett is a reliable run defender and his consistency on every snap is valuable.”
Comment: Brugler was one of the more restrained analysts, noting Barnett’s lack of explosive traits and absence of a high ceiling. But that “consistency on every snap” is something we never saw here. Unless we’re talking about consistently underachieving.
Mel Kiper, ESPN
“When you see him on tape and you watch him and in the NFL will he struggle a bit against these elite offensive tackles? He did a great job in college, will it translate to the NFL the way it did at the collegiate level? … I think when you look at Barnett, I mean, the production is incredible, that's what you're hoping if you draft Derek Barnett, that he can overcome not having great measurables to continue what he did in college and translate it to the NFL.”
Comment: Kiper is clearly skeptical of Barnett as an NFL edge rusher, although he never quite comes out and says it. But he was definitely on the right track.
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Walter Football (no writer listed)
“A smooth player who has some natural pass-rushing skills for the pros. Barnett's hands are very good for a player entering the NFL. He shows a nice ability to use his hands and feet at the same time. Tackles try to get a hold of him, but Barnett has strong hands to slap them away and get free of blocks. Once Barnett is free, he has a real burst to close and is adept at getting the quarterback on the ground. Some who have had Barnett's skill set haven't always been able to translate it. However, I would bank on Barnett's production and think he has a solid career.”
Comment: About that solid career ... oops.
HogsHaven.com, Gabe Ward
“Derek Barnett is one of the top edge defenders in the draft because of his fundamentals and technique. Most of the time we project a prospect - particularly an edge defender - based on their athleticism and wish their pass rushing technique and hand usage was as refined as Barnett’s. Well, projecting Barnett is sort of like doing the opposite. Personally, I think he is an adequate athlete to rush off the edge as a DE or OLB and I even liked what little I saw of him in coverage. Barnett doesn’t boast any elite athletic traits and he doesn’t do anything fancy, he just consistently beats his man off the snap, swats down some hands, turns the edge, and makes a play.”
Comment: Ward was kind of on the right track. No elite traits? Checks out. Doesn’t do anything fancy? Checks out. Consistently beats his man? Never happened.
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What the draft experts said about Eagles Derek Barnett before the 2017 draft - NBC Sports
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