There’s a fairly wide consensus across college football that Derek Barnett is one of the best pass rushers in the nation heading into the 2016 season.
A couple rankings and stats that have come out recently have really shown the junior defensive end’s true overall value, however.
Pro Football Focus – a site that relies on film study and player grading to give a more thorough evaluation of players – recently ranked Barnett as the No. 4 overall player in college football, saying:
“Barnett’s career will always be compared to (Texas A&M DE Myles) Garrett’s, as they both took the SEC by storm as true freshmen. Barnett did it a little differently as he stepped right in as an outstanding run defender, posting the nation’s 12th-best grade in 2014. He was also strong as a pass rusher as a freshman, but he took it to a new level last season as he picked up 10 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 42 hurries on his 396 rushes, giving him 109 pressures on 736 rushes in his two years of college,” in their report.
PFF threw out another impressive stat via Twitter on Tuesday, showing that Barnett’s value can’t only be shown in tackles and sacks:
In 2015, Derek Barnett's 62 pressures was the most of any 4-3 DE in the #SEC. pic.twitter.com/fhdrHJ9o0N
— Jack Farrell (@PFF_Jack) July 5, 2016
Pressure is the unsung hero of defensive statistics. Producing them leads to check downs that produce fewer yards, incomplete passes and sometimes even turnovers. Those plays aren’t generally credited to the defensive lineman, even though they play a huge part in making them happen.
And pressure is a huge aspect of new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop’s scheme, making Barnett the perfect piece to build the defense around.
