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Scouting The 2017 NFL Draft: Derek Barnett, Edge, Tennessee

Today we take a look at one of the best edge rushers coming out this year.

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Introduction

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

High School: Brentwood Academy

Recruitment: 4 Stars

Awards

2014 Freshman All-SEC Team

2015 All-SEC AP Second Team

2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List

Measurables

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 257

Class: Junior

Projected 40 Time: 4.68

Stats

Year Tackles TFL Sack QB Hurries PBU
2014 72 20.5 10 8 0
2015 69 12.5 10 7 1
2016 56 19 13 16 5


Positives

  • Good size
  • Good speed for his size
  • Has great knee bend around the edge
  • Very disruptive
  • 3 down guy
  • He pursues very well
  • Can beat double teams
  • Can drop into coverage

Negatives

  • Doesn’t have a great counter move
  • Can be caught guessing the snap count
  • Doesn’t recognize cut blocks early enough
  • Doesn’t have an elite first step
  • Some see him as just a 4-3 end

Conclusion

Barnett is one of my favorite edge rushers coming out this year. Derek has been incredibly productive over 3 year career at Tennessee. Barnett will be a 3 down player that can set the edge on run downs, and then be unleashed on passing downs. Some evaluators like Kiper believe he is only a 4-3 defensive end, but I don’t see that being much of a problem for the Jets. We run enough 4 man fronts where he can put his hand in the dirt. I also believe he is athletic enough to stand up if asked to. If we don’t go quarterback with our first pick, Barnett would not be a bad choice.

Draft Round Prediction: Top-10