The Philadelphia Eagles select Tennessee’s Derek Barnett
By Jon Dove
The Philadelphia Eagles select Tennessee’s Derek Barnett with the No. 14 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
This pick seems like a flashback to when the Philadelphia Eagles selected Brandon Graham with Earl Thomas still on the board. In this case, the Eagles select Derek Barnett with defensive backs Malik Hooker and Marlon Humprey still available.
Barnett had an extremely productive college career thanks to his feel for the game and instincts. However, he lacks that elite burst and length most look for in a pass rusher.
Philadelphia now has 3 solid pass rushing threats with Barnett, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry. The problem is that they haven’t addressed their need at the cornerback position. They are obviously hoping that their pass rush can make up for their shortcomings in the secondary.
On a positive note, the cornerback position is the deepest in this draft which means Philadelphia could find a starter in the 2nd or 3rd round.
However, this means that they might have to wait to address their other need at running back. This team needs to add more talent around Carson Wentz and that includes developing a more consistent running attack.
The 2nd round would represent a chance to add a difference maker at the position with prospect Joe Mixon, Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt possibly available.
Grade: B-
It’s hard to really hammer them for this pick because a team can never have enough pass rushers. They just have to hope that Barnett’s instincts can help him overcome his physical limitations. Philadelphia also has to hope some good cornerback prospects are around in the middle rounds.