Barnett took on the SEC in his three seasons with the Madden 24 coins conference, recording 52 loss-taking tackles, one less than Leonard Little's mark from the school, and 33 sacks, eclipsing the legendary Reggie White's volunteer record by one. His combination of agility and speed on the edge of the field made him the bane of every offensive lineman he played against.
What sort of talent does Barnett contribute to the Eagles?
His ability to shed pockets and blocks won't just boost his own numbers but also result in simple TFLs and TFLs for teammates. Even with Barnett's 19-point team-high, Tennessee still recorded 81 tackles for loss in the 2016 season.
His power and speed around the edge led him to become an Volunteer record-breaker as well as one of the top prospects to rise in speed before this year's draft. Barnett is a rogue off his line in the type of first step that gives offensive linemen the anxiety. The majority of his big plays begin with Barnett leaning on and driving past his blocker and crashing the pocket off an opponent's blind side and creating chaos behind the line of the line of scrimmage.
Barnett is also fast enough laterally to take down ball carriers from space, frequently with his ability to recognize screen plays and even disrupt blockers. The athleticism of his height, 6'3'' and 259lbs, offers versatility in that he can move into coverage at any time. Although he played as a 4-3 defensive lineman in college and with a little polish, he could also transition as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 configuration.
Will those skills translate to what's in Madden NFL 24? Derek Barnett Scouting Report
"Not just was Barnett an extremely reliable threat with at least 10 sacks all three of his years in orange, but he also did impressive work against Tennessee's strongest rivals. As a freshman he benefited tremendously in the absence of Curt Maggitt's presence. However, Barnett was the main focus of offensive lines that were battling each other the last two years and that did not slow him down at all." Read more on Rocky Top Talk
His ability to rush for the ball led him to be a top first-round pick however, there are some questions that he'll need be able to answer when he becomes a professional. His game is predicated on his athleticism. However, an average showing at the Madden NFL 24 Combine suggests Barnett could be unable to compete with an improved group of offensive linemen when he becomes professional leagues. Madden NFL 24 Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah may have said the right thing when it comes the future of Barnett.
"(Barnett) doesn't have elite burst, that explosiveness which you'd like to find in an edge-rusher," Barnett said on his Move the Sticks podcast. "I used to be around Terrell Suggs at times with the Ravens, and he's another one that didn't test all that well. However, Suggs was a whiz to get on the field. You can see a lot of those same things with Barnett. He's not at the Suggs level However, I think he's definitely got a chance to become a double-digit sack player at the next level."
One thing that is positive is his performance in the face of SEC rivals. Barnett often favored starting slow with Tennessee, though he typically saved his best performances for crucial conference games -- and also the madden 24 coins for sale top offensive line that the Volunteers would face. Even though even an Alabama lineup is a different from a Madden NFL 24 team, it's still encouraging.