Meet The Prospect: Derek Barnett, Defensive End, Philadelphia Eagles
With the fourteenth pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles brought in an uber-productive, but controversial SEC edge rusher in Derek Barnett.
Some have pushed him as superior to Myles Garrett. Others have questioned his ability to produce consistently as an NFL defensive end. Derek Barnett is an interesting selection at 14–one that could be looked upon as a clutch move by a new scouting regime, or an all-too-familiar first-round failure by a browbeaten front office.
Derek Barnett’s production as an SEC rusher is undeniable. Over 3 years at Tennessee, he amassed 52.0 tackles for loss and 33.0 sacks. That broke the old Volunteers record of 32.0 sacks.
Which was set by some guy named Reggie White.
We can’t sniff at that. Barnett is a guy who steps in immediately with a dog’s mentality and championship mindset. That’s awesome.
But when we examine the production, we see a story that may not translate favorably to NFL play.
Barnett is a true snap-jumper. That isn’t an issue, but it’s important to distinguish between get-off and snap anticipation. Barnett doesn’t have great twitch of the line–he’s more a power rusher than a speed rusher–but he knows how to instantly gain ground off his first step by reading the cadence.
Wide-9 alignment right there, by the way.
Will that skill transition well to the NFL? Perhaps, but it’s a different atmosphere, playing on the road in the NFL against savvy QBs like Brees and Rodgers.
When Barnett wins off the snap, he has adequate bend through his hips to turn the corner and finish. Ideally, rushers have the lower body bend to duck their inside shoulder, then rip their body through the offensive tackle’s armpit, turn their body through the corner, flatten to the quarterback, and finish. That process requires freedom through every lower body joint: hip, knee, and ankle.
But Barnett isn’t a true bender. He’s more a ‘blocking-area-dimishing’ sort of guy. He ducks his inside shoulder, hard, into the offensive tackle, reducing the area the OT has to attack. He doesn’t explode up and out, but rather stays low through the ground and finishes near the quarterbacks hips.
And what happens if/when Barnett doesn’t win off the snap and is forced to square up against an offensive tackle? He flashes speed-to-power, and occasionally puts together an okay counter move, but too often than not, he’s left seeking an edge he doesn’t have.
Unless Barnett develops a consistent and reliable counter move, by which he uses his snap-jumping abilities to force an offensive tackle to overset, then he comes inside that offensive tackle to create pressure, he won’t find consistent NFL success. That will be his primary hurdle to overcome when he enters the NFL.
Here, Cam Robinson (round one selection?) doesn’t have a great set. He opens his hips far too early and entirely abandons his kick slide, worried about Barnett’s ability to win the edge. But because Barnett didn’t get off the snap quickly enough, he’s can’t create leverage at the corner due to his inefficient bend. He is easily pushed along the loop and out of the play.
From a schematic perspective, Barnett doesn’t translate as well to the Wide-9 as he would to a traditional DE set. The Wide-9 alignment accentuates explosiveness off the line, and in my estimation, Barnett doesn’t so much have that as he manufactures that. In reality, snap-jumping from a wider alignment gives the offensive tackle more time/space to regain ground. Furthermore, Barnett’s dominant run-defending abilities will be hidden by a wider alignment.
Next: Philadelphia Eagles Draft: The Reuben Foster Conundrum
The production and the motor are there, and that’s always a guy worthy of high-value consideration. But on film, I don’t see a rusher that will step in and be the primary DE on a team, worthy of the 14th overall selection. We’ll have to wait and see. With Charles Harris, Reuben Foster, Derek Barnett, O.J. Howard, and Jonathan Allen all left on the board, I think they could have found a better selection.
Grade: C