2014 NFL Draft: Pre-Season Breakdown – Anthony Barr, OLB UCLA

Dec 27, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Anthony Barr (11) against the Baylor Bears in the 2012 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Baylor defeated UCLA 49-26. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Part of the reason Anthony Barr ultimately chose to attend UCLA was because then head coach Rick Neuheisel was willing to let him play offense and in particular, running back.  After Neuheisel was gone, Jim Mora Jr. was hired and Mora immediately put Barr back on defense as an outside linebacker often in a Leo role, but also as an inside linebacker in certain formations.  The idea was that Barr would contribute where he could and they would try to catch him up in terms of really understanding the defense and instincts as he went along.

Barr went out and had a phenomenal debut season with 60 solo tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles and a blocked kick all while still trying to figure out the nuances of the position.  It was not long before opposing offenses were scheming around Barr and figuring ways to get away from him or exploit weaknesses in hopes of limiting his impact.  Barr was still able to make a ton of plays but he was victimized as well.  There was a lot of buzz about him coming out last year, but he made the smart move and opted to return to Westwood for his senior season to continue refining his game under More and the rest of that coaching staff.  Barr has a world of natural talent and he is a big time weapon on defense and was a powder blue tornado out there for the Bruins, but he needs to improve in flexibility and his ability to bend at the ankle, improve as a run defender and learn how to read offenses, continue to improve taking on and defeating blocks, and just getting a more NFL ready body in terms of his overall strength and physique.  Barr likely would have been a fringe first round pick last year but if he can continue to improve and build on his junior year, he could end up going in the top 10 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Vitals & Build

Barr is listed at 6’4” 235lbs with good strength and explosiveness off the edge.  It is not difficult to see the athleticism gained from playing running back, especially with his feet.  Barr is able to turn well and has quick feet that enables him to be agile, but needs to take the next step and learn to bend around the edge.  Barr is still developing physically and needs to continue adding weight and should come into this season with a much better build after an entire season playing as a linebacker.  For all the speed, strength and power that Barr has, it still seems like there is physical potential there to tap into and even though he was incredibly productive, he can improve his leverage and body control.  His motor seems to be as good as Barr deems it necessary.  He never appears tired but he will gear down on plays he thinks he is not going to make or are across the field from him.

Snap Anticipation & First Step

Barr’s snap anticipation is good for the most part but there are examples where he is half a beat late reacting to the snap.  Much of this can be attributed to his lack of experience at the position and this should improve with another full year of football.

His first step is good and he is extremely quick in general.  From his experience as a running back, he knows how to go from zero to full speed incredibly fast and it starts with his first step.  He has played exclusively as a standup linebacker and it would be nice to see what he can do with his hand on the ground, but he is consistently able to make a good initial movement from a standup look.  If he is not lined up with his body leaned toward the backfield, he is lined up like a cornerback playing press man in a balanced position with his nose over his toes in a low crouched position, giving him natural leverage and the ability to punch with both hands at the snap.

Block Shedding

Barr is still a work in progress as it comes to beating blocks.  He is so explosive and so quick that he is able to get opponents off balance or is able to work half the man and just beat them with speed or switch to power.  He has a good bull rush he can use, but his hands need to be more active as they tend to just sit on the offensive tackles or tight end once he is engaged.  Barr will struggle at times when guys are able to get in front of him from tackles on down to running backs.

He will flash a rip move, but his activity, especially with his hands is high when he is coming to take them on, but once he gets engaged, it really drops.  Barr’s best move at this point is his spin move and it is a snap spin move that works incredibly quickly and he is in control enough where he is not coming out of it off balance.  Rather, he is in control and looking for the ball carrier to make the play.

Run Stopping

Barr’s role as a run defender seemed to be simplified for him to keep him playing at full speed as much as possible and cause him to think less. The results made sense considering his ability to disrupt plays in the backfield and just wreak havoc on offenses, but it also demonstrates his lack of instincts as a run defender.  Even at the end of the year, he would get victimized over and over by read option looks.  Barr would keep crashing down on the handoff to go after the running back and the quarterback would just keep it and continue to go right where Barr was with open field to keep gaining yardage.  It stands to reason that the Bruin coaching staff will feed him more information and expect him to make more reads and understand more of what is going on to avoid these situations.  If he can process it and apply it, his game could make a big jump this year.

That lack of awareness seems to carry over to situations where Barr will shoot a gap and end up in the backfield trying to make a play and it seems like he is standing up on his tipped toes he is so tall, standing out like a sore thumb.  He has been strong enough where guys will hit him because he is in such a bad position and has been able to hold up against the blow, but overall this is a recipe for him to be decked, especially in the NFL.  There are also times when he is inexplicably high on the edge and will get driven off the ball as a result.

When Barr is right, he is not only quick enough to shoot gaps with the feet quick enough to enable him to turn and catching running backs from the side or behind as they try to pick up yardage, but he also is able to use his strength and collapse the pocket against both tackles and tight ends.  When he has his pad level and leverage right, even with his less than ideal weight, he can be incredibly difficult to move off of his spot and he has shown he can be incredibly disruptive.  Barr has shown the ability to limit running lanes for the ball carrier but is also able to get into the backfield and make the tackle himself.  He is also able to generate power in a short area and can land a powerful tackle on the opponent and potentially knock the ball out for a fumble.  Barr has remarkable range and can chase down plays from all over the field as long as he is putting in the effort.

Barr is still raw when it comes to making reads and will need to demonstrate that has a better understanding of the running game and where it is attacking as well as improving his technique and being more consistent in that respect.  His athleticism and raw strength have enabled him to be a big time player in college and while those flashes are good, he will need to continue developing so those plays can carry over to the next level against better competition.  Still, the flashes are incredibly impressive.

Pass Rushing

Perhaps part of the reason Barr is such an effective and disruptive pass rusher is that he is counter intuitive with his approach.  So many guys with the type of speed Barr has want to live on the outside and rush around the edge to get to the quarterback and Barr can certainly do that as well.  What separates Barr is the fact that he is so willing and effective when it comes to rushing inside and using that to set up a counter move, which is most often his spin move to spin back outside and secure the sack.

Barr will slash inside and force the offensive tackle who is more accustomed to going outside to go in and either because he has him off balance of his speed, power or both, the quarterback goes to roll out one way or the other or just goes further back in the pocket.  Barr then goes with his snap spin move and chases down the passer.

The fact that Barr is able to come off the edge and attack the outside, go inside or use a bull rush makes him incredibly scary to opponents and it makes him unpredictable.  As he gets better taking on and shedding blocks, it will only make him that much scarier as he has a lot of power and long arms to be effective.

The UCLA defense had so much talent, especially up front last year that Barr could be moved off of the line and used as a blitzing option and is able to come into the backfield with a ton of speed and power to disrupt the play and the body control to locate and make a big tackle on the quarterback.  They also employed him in various stunts and because of his willingness to attack in different ways, it creates opportunities for himself as well as teammates.

Barr has terrific closing speed when he can see a sack in his sights, but seems to have an extra gear when he misses a sack and then goes to chase down the quarterback like he took it personally.  And Barr is one of the most explosive tacklers in all of college football, so he is not gently laying the quarterback down, but is able to create an incredible amount of power in a short area and if he gets a running start, he has shown he can take a quarterback out of the game.

Coverage

Barr has better instincts and natural ability as a coverage linebacker than he does as a run defender.  Perhaps because he has experience on the other side of the ball and has a good sense of where he would attack as a running back, he has a good sense of where plays are going.  He is also extremely light on his feet and can close ground quickly.

Not only is Barr able to play in zone coverage and has a good sense for spacing and where he needs to be to eliminate or reduce the impact of the opposing receiver, but he is also solid in man coverage and has the quickness and ability to change direction to play in tight coverage.  He is more comfortable covering running backs but he should be able to cover tight ends as well once he gets more comfortable.  Barr can get into his drops extremely quickly and easily while processing where the play is going.

System Fit

Based on what he has done in college, Barr’s best fit could be as a Leo linebacker in the NFL.  He could also be a terrific 3-4 outside linebacker.  While he probably could play as a defensive end, he has not done it yet, so there will be questions about how he does out of a three point stance and how he holds up from that position.  Even if he starts out as a linebacker on running downs and teams want to have him come up and put his hand on the ground in obvious passing situations, he has yet to really do it, so with more bulk this year, it would certainly be good to see him operate from that set.

Overall, he is a terrific standup linebacker who has the ability to play three downs and contribute in pass coverage, but he is being brought in to get after the opposing quarterback.  He would fit a team like Jacksonville like a glove if they do not have a Leo backer figured out by next April.  Barr would be a terrific fit in any 3-4 scheme and would also be a terrific fit in Denver’s scheme.

Schedule

Notable Games

The game against Stanford in Palo Alto is a huge game, both for UCLA and for Barr.  They played the Cardinal twice last season, losing both and David Yankey is a good test for Barr and presents a decent challenge to produce.  Oregon and Barr have not been properly introduced yet and his ability to disrupt plays against their pace and speed is certainly going to test his ability to rush the passer as well as play in space.  The game against USC is huge.  UCLA put it to them last year and Barr was the player who delivered the hit that ended Matt Barkley’s college career and the Trojans are looking to prove they still own the city of Los Angeles and there will probably be guys specifically looking to punish Barr and not necessarily in a dirty manner.

NFL Comparison

Although Barr is rawer and has a lot to pick up before he gets to the NFL, his game is eerily reminiscent of Von Miller of the Denver Broncos.  Miller was an extremely polished player when he came out of Texas A&M but in terms of his ability to make plays in any phase of the game and especially when it comes to getting after the quarterback from a standup position is the way Barr works.  If Barr can round out his game, he may not quite go #2 in the draft like Miller did but he will not be waiting long.

Draft Projection

As much as Barr still has to learn, he is frighteningly productive and the more he learns in terms of instincts and technique, the better he will get so the sky appears to be the limit.  He was a fringe first rounder last year and it stands to reason he enters the year as a likely first round prospect, but if he polishes his game and continues to improve his ability to take on blocks and gets a more NFL body, he could easily be in the conversation for a top 10 pick and maybe the top 5.