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ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay has Derek Barnett as a top 10 pick
By Will Ogburn
Published:
In their “dueling two-round NFL mock drafts“, ESPN analysts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper weighed in on former Tennessee star defensive end Derek Barnett.
McShay was particularly convinced of Barnett’s abilities, projecting the DE to go eighth overall to the Carolina Panthers. On Barnett, McShay said:
“The Panthers’ three main edge rushers — Julius Peppers, Charles Johnson and Mario Addison — will be 37, 31 and 30 years old at the start of next season. In other words, Carolina needs to find a younger player who can get after the QB.
“Barnett has some of the most impressive production of any pass-rusher in this class, considering the competition he played against.”
Barnett turned heads around the country last season when he broke Reggie White’s career sack total at Tennessee, recording 33 in only three years. While at Tennessee, the 6-foot-3, 265-pound DE amassed 197 tackles and 52 TFL to go along with that record breaking total.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper was less optimistic, however, saying he is a borderline first round talent. While Kiper didn’t exactly list a reason for the slide, he did give Barnett a bit of praise as a potential sleeper.
“Since Barnett is available at No. 30 in this mock, I’m switching from Houston’s Tyus Bowser to Barnett, who was one of the most productive pass-rushers over the past three years (33 sacks). He fits the Steelers’ physical 3-4.”
Either way, the former Vol is set to make first round money in 2017, and if landing on the Steelers’ defense is the worst case scenario, that’s still a pretty enviable position to be in.
A former resident of both Baton Rouge and the heart of Crimson Tide country, Will Ogburn handles multimedia content and news coverage for Saturday Down South.
