FanPost

Sleeper Prospect: Shaquil Barrett

Shaquil Barrett Colorado St

6ft 2, 260 lbs

Barrett is an underrated outside linebacker that racked up 20.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks this year. He is currently projected to go at earliest in the 7th round. It’s not his lack of talent that has him rated so low but rather the level of competition he faced. In the game against Alabama he had 1.5 sacks and was clearly one of the best players on defense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcGMgbc_DRU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmqdf-TN4wc

In the videos you can see that he is good at tracking down the ball carrier, generating pressure on the qb and occasionally dropping back in coverage. His speed is average but his instincts and tackling are better than anticipated and he is capable of lining up as a defensive end. This was against an Alabama offensive line, many of whom will probably be drafted in the early rounds. I'm not declaring Barrett a home run prospect, but one with tremendous upside. He could potentially be worthy of replacing Calvin Pace and therefore a solid contributor to the team. Rex Ryan has done a good job developing young talent and Barrett could rise to his potential under such a great defensive mind. In my book getting a player who could start in the 6th or 7th round would be a big win. However if it doesn't pan out then it's not a huge loss. Besides there's always the practice squad, where a couple of our late round picks from recent year are.

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