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Derek Barnett Rookie Year Thread


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Seems like Barnett is one of the least talked about first-round picks in a while. Part of that is the position he plays and the likelihood of starting, which is low, compared to someone like Rasul Douglas. But the Eagles think they can get him going right away.

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At one point, defensive line coach Chris Wilson raised his voice and told rookie defensive end Derek Barnett that with how he was lined up, opponents could easily run an inside zone against the Eagles. Of course, Wilson’s explanation was both a bit more concise and, um, colorful.

As Barnett put it, “He’s been on me every practice.”

“Everything I do, he’s very critical. And that’s what coach is supposed to do, he’s supposed to help me get better. Sometimes he’s getting on me. It may not be fun, but he’s helping me become a good ballplayer.”

Barnett also seems to have the right mindset.

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“What I think is awesome about a kid like him who sets records at his college, he’s a highly-touted kid but he comes to work every day,” Long said. “There’s no ego.”

And Barnett is getting a lot of feedback from vets including our favorite B-Rex:

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Apparently, it’s not just Wilson who is willing to criticize Barnett. One of “the oldheads and the vets” who counsels the rookie is Graham, who said that he offers one major message for Barnett: getting off the ball quickly is half the battle.

“I told him, ‘I see you got all of the tools man, you can bend,’” Graham said. “’You just got to keep perfecting your craft and you just got to make sure you get off that ball.’”

And even stayed after practice to train further with Jason Peters.

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It has also been well documented how Jason Peters has helped Barnett after practice work on developing a counter to his excellent edge rush (which he has weirdly been extremely reticent to break out in camp so far), another example of the Tennessee product accepting all of the help he can. 

“Every time I get a chance to talk to him, I get in his ear,” Barnett said. “Just try to ask him, ‘When should I do this? When should I not? Am I giving away any ticks?’ Any chance I can talk to him, he’s seen a lot of rushes, he’s seen a lot of good defensive ends so he knows what he’s talking about.” 

What's a "good" year for Barnett in his rookie year?

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Im curious how many snaps he played in those games last year above. 78 total pressures is high for 13 games. 

A good season for Barnett would be somewhere between 35-50% of the defensive snaps. If our front 4 is disruptive early on I see teams adjusting with heavy pass, no huddle which could negate our depth. It could also negate how much he plays. I'm not worried about a stat line aside from playing time. 

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12 hours ago, nlesthought said:

Im curious how many snaps he played in those games last year above. 78 total pressures is high for 13 games. 

A good season for Barnett would be somewhere between 35-50% of the defensive snaps. If our front 4 is disruptive early on I see teams adjusting with heavy pass, no huddle which could negate our depth. It could also negate how much he plays. I'm not worried about a stat line aside from playing time. 

Yeah for sure, especially if he can get on the field early. The good thing is we don't really need him to come in and get tons of PT, I would imagine he comes in on passing downs and let him pass rush.

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Barnett will be in a great position in his rookie year. He'll run with the 2s on a team that is pretty heavy on the rotation of the DL so he'll have plenty of opportunity to shine. I think anything north of 5 sacks with a solid handful of hurries would be a good start for him. Anything above that is gravy IMO.

I think this year will be mostly learning game speed and learning how to impact the game. Next year is when the expectations will be higher because Long's contract will be up and Vinny Curry will have an 11 million dollar cap hit and will be on the chopping block if he doesn't produce this year.

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8 minutes ago, ninjapirate said:

7 seems low if he starts most of the year, guy lived in the backfield in college. 

You do know our history with 1st round DE's and their rookie seasons? 7 sacks would be awesome, but Barnett will probably have to get micro fracture surgery or shot at some point this year. Hopefully just a flesh wound.

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I need to see how he holds up @ the POA vs NFL caliber OL before I say he'll start at any point this year. Hopefully he has football strength those 20 reps with B-Rex arms may come up short in run defense. 

EDIT: If he can't hold up I don't see how he'll see the field. 

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14 hours ago, Jeezla said:

You do know our history with 1st round DE's and their rookie seasons? 7 sacks would be awesome, but Barnett will probably have to get micro fracture surgery or shot at some point this year. Hopefully just a flesh wound.

Yep, Historically they aren't starters.

I'd be ecstatic with 7 sacks in a rotational role. If he becomes a starter for more than half the season my expectations would be higher.

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I'm expecting 5 sacks this year until he develops more than just a speed and bend rush. Reports are he's not initiating contact much and decent Ts are going to eat you alive if they know you're one dimensional. If he can hone in on an inside spin move I'll feel better but for now, expectations should be limited. He's got to develop a bull rush and some rip moves. He needs work. He's a rookie. I don't think he'll start at all this year. Obviously in a heavy rotation but I think they give BG and Long the majority of "starts". 

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1 hour ago, Jroc04 said:

I'm expecting 5 sacks this year until he develops more than just a speed and bend rush. Reports are he's not initiating contact much and decent Ts are going to eat you alive if they know you're one dimensional. If he can hone in on an inside spin move I'll feel better but for now, expectations should be limited. He's got to develop a bull rush and some rip moves. He needs work. He's a rookie. I don't think he'll start at all this year. Obviously in a heavy rotation but I think they give BG and Long the majority of "starts". 

The camp reports are strange on him. Normally its up and down but they're acknowledging that it appears he's specifically working on weaknesses rather than showcasing his strengths in camp. I'm intrigued.

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On 8/3/2017 at 4:32 PM, ninjapirate said:

7 seems low if he starts most of the year, guy lived in the backfield in college. 

lol @ 7 sacks seeming low for a guy starting two-thirds of the season.....

Vic Beasley (led the league in sacks in his 2nd season) started his whole rookie year and got 4 sacks.

Mario Williams started his whole rookie year and got 4.5 sacks.

J.J. Watt started his whole rookie year and got 5.5 sacks.

Khalil Mack started his whole rookie season and got 4 sacks.

Michael Strahan started every game but one his 2nd year (couldn't use rookie year since he didn't really play) and he got 4.5 sacks.

If he got 7 sacks while not starting the whole season, then we should be crying tears of joy.

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33 minutes ago, TheRealMcCoy said:

lol @ 7 sacks seeming low for a guy starting two-thirds of the season.....

Vic Beasley (led the league in sacks in his 2nd season) started his whole rookie year and got 4 sacks.

Mario Williams started his whole rookie year and got 4.5 sacks.

J.J. Watt started his whole rookie year and got 5.5 sacks.

Khalil Mack started his whole rookie season and got 4 sacks.

Michael Strahan started every game but one his 2nd year (couldn't use rookie year since he didn't really play) and he got 4.5 sacks.

If he got 7 sacks while not starting the whole season, then we should be crying tears of joy.

yeah but reggie white had 13 in 12 starts his rookie year and barnett broke his record in college so can only be compared to him at all times. 

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