Philadelphia Eagles: Grading the 2017 rookie draft class
DE Derek Barnett, 1st Rd
Former Tennesee defensive end, Derek Barnett was not on many Eagles fans wishlist. Considering the Eagles already had a solid defensive front, nobody really expected the Eagles to take another defensive end in the first round. Especially after they totally reached a few years back when they drafted Marcus Smith.
Shortly after Barnett got drafted to Philadelphia, fans starting to like the pick more and more. Sure, he wasn’t the quickest defensive end, but he really knew how to get past a lineman. He got off to a quick start in the preseason when he snagged a sack in the first week. Since then, the kid has done nothing but make plays on his part-time snap count.
Barnett has shown some major promise in year one. Although he was behind Vinny Curry on the depth chart, he earned enough playing time as the season went on for him to be one of the better first-round selections in 2017.
The best quality about Barnett though was the fact that he could contribute beyond the regular season. In the NFC Championship game, he bull rushed into the backfield for a sack-fumble that would kill the Minnesota Vikings potential game-tying drive. Since that turnover, the Eagles scored 24 unanswered points to advance to Super Bowl LII.
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Barnett’s contributions didn’t stop back in the Championship game. He took part in what will go down as the best play in Eagles history as of now. When Brandon Graham forced a sack-fumble on Tom Brady, Derek Barnett was the one who came up with the ball. That very play led to the Eagles eventually sealing the deal and becoming Super Bowl Champs.