By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Eagles opened their draft weekend by adding to the defensive line with the selection of defensive end Derek Barnett.
Barnett is a 6’3”, 259-pound lineman out of Tennessee, who posted 13.0 sacks in his junior season with 19 tackles for loss and 56 tackles with one interception and two forced fumbles in 13 games this season. His 32.0 career sacks broke Reggie White’s school record for sacks.
So who is Derek Barnett and what does he bring to the Eagles. Here’s a look at his scouting report.
Barnett’s strengths lie in getting to the quarterback. The Eagles had a need to get more help in the pass rush and certainly addressed it with a sack master. Barnett can dip underneath tackles and though his size is a bit of a question, uses it well to show athletic ability and constant movement to get to the quarterback.
Barnett is a good combination of speed and power, meaning he can muscle his way through a block or use his speed to get around blocks and beat tackles quickly.
With good football instincts and an ability to close on the quarterback, Barnett has a lot of upside, and if his college numbers can translate over to the pros, this could be a huge pickup for the Eagles.
That said, while he can be explosive on the line, that attribute has been brought into question. His size is also a concern. He lacks the length of typical defensive linemen and needs to be better with his moves at the line. While he may excel in the pass rush, he could use some improvement against the run.
Barnett’s Combine numbers were poor, and while Howie Roseman attributed that to a bout of the flu, Barnett’s junior season performance and overall college tape indicate that this is going to be a solid player in the NFL.
Overall, Barnett made waves by being a leader in sacks for Tennessee consistently in his three years with the program and was projected in the Top 25 of the Draft from the beginning. He rose through the ranks, and it’s worth noting his production in terms of sacks and tackles for loss bested the No. 1 overall pick, Myles Garrett.
All in all, this is a pick that comes with a risk, as all first-round picks do in one way or another, but should help the Eagles, especially on a line with Fletcher Cox and newcomer Tim Jernigan. With more part of the line drawing focus, getting one-on-ones for Barnett could be easier and thus help him have better success in his early developmental years.
As Howie Roseman said following the pick, Barnett also fits Jim Schwartz’s defense, giving the Eagles a player to insert into the defense right away. The team was always high on Barnett from the beginning, particularly Joe Douglas, who has heavy involvement in constructing the Eagles draft board. This pick, then, should come as no surprise.
“I love the energy. I love the toughness,” Mike Mayock said on NFL.com’s Player Profile for Barnett. “People either loved or they didn’t like him because he didn’t have explosive measurables in the combine. But his tape is too good and I think the city of Philadelphia is going to love him.”
Let’s all hope so.
You can watch highlights of Derek Barnett below.
