Penn State OLB Deion Barnes NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Erik Lambert
Oct 12, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Deion Barnes (18) during the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Michigan 43-40 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O
Scouts have said for months that the 2015 NFL draft is rich in pass rushers and that is no lie. If it weren’t, Deion Barnes would probably be going much earlier than he’s currently projected to. As it stands, he faces lots of competition, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy of playing in the pros.
Here is a scouting report detailing some of his strengths and weaknesses.
STRENGTHS
Very good at keeping his pad level low and knifing to the inside, penetrating the gap and either stopping or at least disrupting a play in the backfield. Notice in this GIF how he shows good awareness to watch the quarterback for a quick screen. When that doesn’t happen he immediately gets up the field inside the tackle and almost sacks the quarterback. This he can do with surprising regularity.
At the same time you see pretty early that he lacks that “special” first step scouts are so fond of talking about in elite edge rushers. However, the good news is Barnes quite proficient rushing from the left side, which would pit him against slower and less nimble right tackles. In that matchup he showed he can win his fair share as this next GIF illustrates.
Tape also shows Barnes has good football intelligence. He often puts teammates in proper position before the snap, keeps his head up looking for the ball and understands the value of proper hand techinique in order to stack and shed blockers when playing the run or the pass.
WEAKNESSES
One drawback to his playing on the left side of any defense is his lack of desired power. If Barnes gets matched up with one of those big tackles against a team that loves to run it, he could really have a hard time impacting the game at all. Also, while he knows how to shed blocks, he hasn’t shown he can do it consistently.
This would explain why teams have him pegged as a 3-4 outside linebacker. There his responsibilities would focus more on attacking the backfield and less on holding the point and stopping the run. The issue with that is he lacks the desired bend and athleticism for the position.
Thus he’s somewhat of a “tweener.”
Pro Comparison: Erik Walden
Deion Barnes is a bit bigger than the Indianapolis Colts linebacker but the two share similarities in terms of style and athleticism. Walden has built himself into a capable rotational pass rusher and helped Green Bay win the Super Bowl in 2010. Barnes can easily reach that same plateau if he continues to work hard and lands in the right scheme coming out of the NFL draft.