WeekapaugGroove wrote:I had never heard of Krys Barnes before Sunday but the Pack must see something in him (and how bad must Burkes be in practice?!?). Did a little googling and the Niners SB nation guy had him as his #1 sleeper LB in the draft. He's his write up on him.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2020/2/13/21134872/nfl-pre-combine-draft-2020-sleepers
1. Krys Barnes, LB, UCLA
Height: 6'2" Weight: 235lbs. Projected Arm length: 32" Projected hand size: 9.75" Projected 40: 4.6-4.7
Pros: Krys is consistent. He's fast, has good instincts and a good nose for the football and is consistently good. In 2018 Barnes had 85 tackles, 10 for a loss, 1 sack, 1 INT and 6 pass deflections. In 2019, he had 72 tackles, 9.5 for a loss, 4 sacks, 1 INT, 7 deflections and 1 forced fumble. Barnes is productive. He's fast and an efficient tackler. He constantly puts himself in position to make plays. He's also a good pass defender. Krys was also listed on the third team (third place) on the PFF All-Pac-12 team. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes.
Cons: As you probably noticed from the weight, Barnes is undersized for the NFL level. The immediate concern then becomes, if he adds muscle mass/weight, how will that impact his speed? He's also considered a jack of all trades, master of none. He's good at rushing the passer, good at coverage, good at run defense but not excellent at any. It will be interesting to see how his skill set translates at the NFL level.
Summary: Barnes is an intriguing prospect. He reminds me of Fred Warner coming out of college. He just is always wherever the ball is. While not the fastest, strongest or best LB in the draft, he has the ability and technique to be an every down backer in the NFL. Barnes is all over the place on boards, as high as 5th and as low as undrafted. He would be worthy of a 6th rounder.
Barnes looked really good last Sunday. Let's hope he can sustain his good start.
I'm a little surprised the Vikes didn't adapt to the lineup change and test Barnes more as the game went on
