Philadelphia Eagles 2017 NFL Draft mid season grades
Derek Barnett, DE, 1st Round.
At the time, Derek Barnett may not have been the favorite pick for the Eagles first round selection. A lot of fans were interested in Alabama’s linebacker, Reuben Foster while others begged for Florida State’s running back, Dalvin Cook. None of this was a knock against Barnett, as he was initially projected to be taken before the 14th pick. It was clear that the Eagles fan base was just not clear with who Barnett was exactly.
After everyone took some time to process the pick, they might’ve realized that the kid who broke Reggie White’s sack record at Tennesee may be something special. A lot of pressure was riding on Barnett since former first-round picks like Marcus Smith and Nelson Agholor were underperforming. Now as we are eight games into the season, Barnett is finally starting to get warmed up.
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Although Vinny Curry hasn’t been sent to the bench yet, he is definitely watching his back. Barnett has registered 12 combination tackles and 2.5 sacks on limited snaps. Each week, Barnett has been seeing more and more playing time. As his time has been increasing, he has been getting very comfortable on the field. At this point in time, there is no doubt that Barnett will improve even more as we kick off the second half of the season.