Tennessee Vols: Derek Barnett Will Be NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year

Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Derek Barnett was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cleveland Browns made defensive end Myles Garrett the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft with the expectation that he will immediately make an impact on defense for a struggling franchise.

But while folks are focused on whether or not Garrett is taking part in OTA’s (he’s not, due to an injury), former Tennessee Vols defensive end Derek Barnett is quietly turning heads in Philadelphia Eagles OTA’s.

Offensive tackle Lane Johnson, who has been going up against Barnett in practice, is already impressed with the Vols’ all-time sack leader.

From ESPN:

"“Barnett is promising. Just going against him today, he’s got great lean off the edge. He can bend the edge really well. They were comparing him to Myles Garrett in the draft. I think he bends the corner probably the best of anybody in the draft. He’s a good player for us, gonna be good for us this year.”"

There’s no doubt that Garrett is going to be a great player, but Barnett consistently out-produced him in college. I don’t see any reason why that will change in the NFL.

And that’s why I think at the end of the 2017 season, Barnett will be named the NFL defensive rookie of the year. He would be the fourth defensive lineman in the last five years to win the award.

Garett, however, isn’t Barnett’s only competition for defensive rookie of the year. He’ll also have to contend with defensive end Solomon Thomas (49ers), safety Jamal Adams (Jets), linebacker Haason Reddick (Cardinals), and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (Redskins), among several others.

But Barnett could be in the best position of all those to have success in 2017.

The former Vol will likely emerge from training camp as the starting defensive end opposite Brandon Graham. The presence of Graham will prevent Barnett from facing double teams like he did in college.

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And while Barnett will face stiffer competition in some of the right tackles he will line up against than he did at Tennessee, he’s already proved he can get past NFL caliber tackles.

Derek Barnett just tore through Lane Johnson who was playing LT
— John Barchard (@JohnBarchard) May 23, 2017

The Eagles talented defensive line, which also includes Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry, and Tim Jernigan, will only serve to make Barnett better as a rookie.

I’m not sure how many sacks Barnett will finish the season with, but I’m confident he’ll end the season as the best defensive rookie.

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