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

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

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