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NFL Draft: Top 5 Boom Or Bust Prospects

By Chris Schisler

December 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross (1) runs against Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Chidobe Awuzie (4) during the third quarter in the Pac-12 championship at Levi's Stadium. The Huskies defeated the Buffaloes 41-10. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross (1) runs against Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Chidobe Awuzie (4) during the third quarter in the Pac-12 championship at Levi's Stadium. The Huskies defeated the Buffaloes 41-10. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30, 2016; Nashville , TN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Ryker Fyfe (17) throws the ball as Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) defends during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; Nashville , TN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Ryker Fyfe (17) throws the ball as Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) defends during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Derek Barnett:

Barnett was incredibly productive at Tennessee as a pass rusher. He had two straight seasons with double digit sacks. In 2016 he had 13 sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss. He is a great athlete who put up the production that you want to see. I wouldn’t be shocked if he has a great career. I also wouldn’t be horribly surprised if he didn’t. I’m just not completely sold on Barnett.

One thing that gives me pause is that while Barnett is fairly consistent overall, he has monster games and low impact games. Look at his game logs on Sports-Reference.com He’ll have games where he barely makes a statistical impact.  My hypothesis is that Barnett needs the right match up to be successful. One of the concerns listed on his NFL.com draft profile by Lance Zierlein is a lack of length. There is no doubt that Barnett is a good athlete, but he isn’t a sure thing.

If the Ravens took Barnett, it would be exciting. Barnett could be a great player in the NFL. It could go either way with Barnett though.

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