Former Tennessee Vols defensive end Derek Barnett is looking to break into the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting line up as a rookie.
The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t draft former Tennessee Vols defensive end Derek Barnett to be a backup, but that doesn’t mean he’s just going to be handed a starting job either.
Eagles OTA’s got underway on Tuesday, and it offered reporters a glimpse of how Philadelphia’s depth chart currently looks.
Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham start off as first-unit defensive ends.
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus)May 23, 2017
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Barnett isn’t yet among the Eagles’ starters. Even though he was the team’s first round pick, it would be foolish to anoint him as a starter already.
Though it’s worth noting that Barnett did get a decent amount of work with the first team defense.
Derek Barnett getting a lot of work with first-team defense.#Eagles
— Matt Lombardo 🏈 (@MattLombardoNFL)May 23, 2017
And anyway, it doesn’t really matter what a depth chart looks like in May. What does matter, however, is performance.
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Barnett has the benefit of going up against a pretty good offensive tackle in OTA’s in Philly’s Lane Johnson. Going up against a player of Johnson’s caliber will only make Barnett better.
On Tuesday, Barnett was able to get past Johnson to reach quarterback Carson Wentz untouched, but he also tried to bull rush Johnson and was shut down.
Derek Barnett just tore through Lane Johnson who was playing LT
— John Barchard (@JohnBarchard)May 23, 2017
Nice job by Lane Johnson to rub-off Derek Barnett,keep pocket clean for Carson Wentz. Barnett looks explosive off line of scrimmage.#Eagles
— Matt Lombardo 🏈 (@MattLombardoNFL)May 23, 2017
Overall it appears that Barnett received mostly positive reviews from the Eagles beat writers.
Final verdict: Derek Barnett is taller and longer in person than Brandon Graham. Graham is thicker#Eagles
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks)May 23, 2017
Barnett is definitely a high-motor player, and active pass-rusher. Looks like he has a repertoire of moves.#Eagles
— Matt Lombardo 🏈 (@MattLombardoNFL)May 23, 2017
It shouldn’t take long for Barnett to reach the top of the Eagles’ depth chart. He’s going to be a solid pass rusher in Philadelphia for a long time.
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