Yeah, and draft pundits called Jarvis Jones a top 5 pick until his pro day. Hell, the Steelers were all thrilled he had a poor pro day so he could be in play for them. Mendenhall was a top RB and slipped to them. That really does not mean anything to me. I could give 2 ***** what other draft pundits state. I see what I see and go with what I see, not what some guy wrote and 30 others revised into their "own" work. In Barr's last two seasons, where he started, he had 149 tackles, 41.5 tackles for loss, and 23.5 sacks. Bruce Davis, in his final two seasons, had 92 total tackles, 39 tackles for loss, and 24.5 sacks. Davis had MORE sacks over his final two seasons than Barr did. He was close in tackles for loss. The only difference was in total tackles.
But, one thing eerily similar about the two is putrid bench press numbers and both appear to be long and lean players that lack core power. In fact, UCLA as a whole turns out a large portion of their players that lack core upper body strength. They are more known for skill position players and DBs. The idea that Tape states Clowney would be hammered because he cannot hold the point is pretty laughable in a defense of Barr. Nobody runs away from Barr. They will either allow him to blow up field and run inside or hook him down. At least the better blockers did, and when they did, he was a non-factor.
There are more well-rounded OLBs in this draft than Barr and the cost of those players is much more favorable. In college, there are some pass rushers that just run around the edge and use speed to beat their man. They get by in college, like Davis did. But, when they hit the pros and have LTs that can catch them or teams that chip them back to the LTs, they usually flame out pretty quickly. A less flashy, more well rounded OLB is a better choice because he is further developed. Clark Haggans did not stick in the NFL for YEARS because he was a speed burner, but he had an array of pass rush moves, could set things up, shed blockers, and played hard. Give me that over speed around the edge every time. Marcus Smith is a more well rounded than Barr. Trent Murphy lacks speed, but he shows the ability to handle coverages, hold the point, rush the passer, and can shed blocks. Then there is Dee Ford, Jackson Jeffcoat, DeMarcus Lawrence, Chris Smith, Adrian Hubbard, and plenty other potential pass rush prospects, ESPECIALLY if you are willing to wait 2-3 years for them to get there, like you would with Barr.
The whole prospect that Barr is does not cover the hole in his game. There are better players at other positions that would be there. In fact, if I were drafting and I were a 4-3 defense, I would take him as a WLB. That way, I can use him in coverage, not put him on the line so he is not manhandled, let him run and let him use his speed shooting gaps to get pressure. I see more Timmons than I do Porter. People are already talking about moving Jones inside. It has been stated that the loser of the OLB battle between Barr and Jones move inside. Great. A bunch of potential OLB/ILB tweeners we hope can learn to sniff out the QB. Just what we need.
Davis did not have big stats like Barr? Really?
