Former Vols DE Derek Barnett second in Willie McGinest’s defensive rookie of the year list
Former Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett of the Philadelphia Eagles came in at No. 2 on Willie McGinest’s defensive rookie of the year list.
Related Story: 5 reasons Eagles are a perfect fit for Derek Barnett
After giving the most successful former Vol in NFL history hell in the playoffs early in his career, former New England Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest’s has lots of praise for another former Vol, Derek Barnett.
McGinest listed his candidates for defensive rookie of the year on Wednesday, and Barnett came in at No. 2.
The all-time sacks leader in Tennessee football history with just only three years of playing, McGinest knew exactly where to praise Barnett too. He called him the best pass-rusher of the class.
Here are his tweets.
1) MYLES GARRETT: Safest DROY pick. Lightning fast with rare explosiveness off the edge. If fully healthy, he can get 10+ sacks as a rookie.
— Willie McGinest (@WillieMcGinest) August 31, 2017
2) DEREK BARNETT: Best pass rusher in this class IMO. Not as freakish as Garrett, but more refined with hands & technique/on a better team.
— Willie McGinest (@WillieMcGinest) August 31, 2017
3) JAMAL ADAMS: NYJ is in rebuild. He can lead that secondary unit from day 1. Good in coverage and a sure tackler. He brings it like a LB!
— Willie McGinest (@WillieMcGinest) August 31, 2017
Of course, the one thing McGinest got wrong is that Barnett will NOT finish behind Myles Garrett in anything this year.
4) REUBEN FOSTER: Malcolm Smith is out for the year, so I think he shines right away as SF’s 4-3 WLB making plays from sideline to sideline.
— Willie McGinest (@WillieMcGinest) August 31, 2017
As he constantly showed in the SEC, Barnett is way more of a gamer who actually racks up sacks when they matter, not just to pad stats in a meaningless game. That same thing will happen at the pro level.
Derek Barnett is not only the better player and the better gamer than Garrett. He’s also in a better system. And that puts him in much better shape to actually make a huge impact.
This isn’t to say Barnett will win defensive rookie of the year in the NFL, though. It’s just to say that he won’t lose it to Garrett.
Next: Top 10 former Vols in the NFL for 2017
So while McGinest may have Barnett pegged right, he’s got the wrong person ahead of him. Barnett is the best defensive end in the 2017 NFL Draft class. And there’s not a close second.