Former Tennessee Vols standout's NFL stock is 'down' according to NBC Sports
A former Tennessee Vols standout has seen his NFL stock drop this summer according to NBC Sports. Former Vols defensive lineman Derek Barnett, who broke Hall of Famer Reggie White's school record for career sacks at Tennessee, was a first round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for the Eagles, […]
A former Tennessee Vols standout has seen his NFL stock drop this summer according to NBC Sports.
Former Vols defensive lineman Derek Barnett, who broke Hall of Famer Reggie White's school record for career sacks at Tennessee, was a first round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Barnett hasn't delivered first round results during his first six years in the NFL.
Barnett, who missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL, hasn't totaled more than 6.5 sacks in a season during his pro career. And it doesn't sound like he's off to a hot start ahead of the 2023 season.
NBC Sports Philadelphia listed Barnett as a player that's seen his stock go down during Eagles training camp. And to add insult to injury, NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro wrote that Barnett is in year 7 of his career and still "making dumb decisions on the field".
From NBC Sports: While Barnett is getting plenty of first- and second-team reps, the only time I have really noticed him was on Wednesday when he took exception to a crack-back block from Landon Dickerson and retaliated with a shove in the back that send Dickerson to the ground and drew a penalty flag. Barnett is in Year 7 and he’s still making dumb decisions on the field.
Ouch. That's probably not a good sign for Barnett's future in Philly (he's in the last year of a two year extension that he signed in early 2022).
Barnett has always played with a lot of emotion — he was flagged quite a few times at Tennessee for late hits (and he got away with a few, too). The aggressiveness is part of what made Barnett so great during his time in Knoxville. But if Barnett's going to make an impact for the Eagles in 2023, he needs to dial the emotion back a bit and play smarter football. Otherwise, he might not be in Philadelphia by the end of the season.
Virginia is already making a mistake in their preparation for Tennessee
The Virginia Cavaliers are already making a mistake in their preparation for the Tennessee Vols
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
