We’ve detailed the Myles Garrett vs. Derek Barnett debate ad nauseam this offseason and the conversation lingers heading into fall camp.
Which player is better, right now, and who will post the more productive sophomore season?
There isn’t a correct answer, at least not yet. Neither pass rusher participated in spring practice and both will be relatively limited in fall camp to avoid any ailments prior to September.
The hype coming out of summer remains considerable.
Garrett, who set a school record for sacks (11.5) last season, is the featured college football story in this week’s Sports Illustrated and drew comparisons to Jadeveon Clowney by Kevin Sumlin in a Thursday piece by ESPN’s Alex Scarborough detailing the ongoing battle with Barnett.
In this week’s issue of SI: Myles Garrett family feature by @SIPeteThamel / photos by @HancockPhoto pic.twitter.com/tME0f645l9
— Brad Marquardt (@bradthejag) July 23, 2015
Aggies strength coach Larry Jackson told Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman in April that Garrett’s explosiveness and raw strength mirrors that of Adrian Peterson, who he coached at Oklahoma. Garrett’s used to the lofty comparisons and lived up to sizable expectations as the nation’s top-ranked defensive player in his 2014 class.
With all that being said, Garrett’s not yet the perfect player and still has room to grow as a three-down lineman. It took him half a season to establish some semblance of consistency against the run last fall and like his former South Carolina likeness, over-pursued often.
RELATED: Bold prediction — Garrett posts 13.5 sacks in 2015
Not every media type is as high on Garrett, as least not the ones handling Tennessee on a regular basis and few analysts whose primary job is to cover the NFL from a scouting perspective. Often mentioned alongside Barnett, who managed a team-best 20.5 tackles-for-loss as a freshman at Tennessee, Garrett wasn’t as dominant snap-to-snap and his numbers paled in comparison to the four-star’s production against SEC competition.
RELATED: Projecting the SEC’s 2015 Defensive POY
Many had a problem with Garrett being selected as a preseason first-team All-SEC player over Barnett at media days and made their opinions public, as did fans:
I tweeted this last season, but Derek Barnett had 10 sacks and 18 TFLs in SEC games, compared to just three and 3.5 for Myles Garrett. — Patrick Brown (@patrickbrownTFP) July 17, 2015
Surprised Eddie Jackson cracked 3rd team. Struggled last year. Mark this down, too: Derek Barnett’s a better player than Myles Garrett.
— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) July 17, 2015
Myles Garrett ahead of Derek Barnett? https://t.co/sBqJEBjre7 — VolRumorMill (@VolRumorMill) July 17, 2015
The fact the Garrett is above Barnett is absolutely ridiculous.
— Rocky Top Nation (@loganbrooks4298) July 17, 2015
Derek Barnett just continues to get disrespected and overlooked. Myles Garrett over him? Complete joke. — Patrick Spining (@Pspin10) July 17, 2015
This debate’s somewhat silly. Garrett and Barnett will likely both be three-year players and first-round picks in the 2017 NFL draft.
But since it’s the offseason (thank goodness it’s almost over) and a hot talking point in July, what say you SEC fans, who will be the league’s top sophomore defensive end this season?
