Derek Barnett competes during Tennessee's NFL Pro Day, Friday, March 31, 2017, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)The man in crimson broke the Big Orange's draft drought.
Former Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett, clad in a crimson tuxedo, was snagged by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 14th overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday in Philadelphia, becoming the first Volunteer selected by an NFL franchise since 2014.
Barnett's mother, Christine, and Tennessee coach Butch Jones accompanied Barnett to the draft. It was attended by an estimated 70,000 fans, many of them with loyalties to the hometown Eagles.
"I'm very lucky to be here and lucky my mom can come with me as well and enjoy this with me," Barnett said on the NFL Network's pre-draft show. "There's a lot of Eagles fans out here, and I think they want me to go to the Eagles. But I have no control in that."
Barnett, who broke Chattanooga native and former Eagles star Reggie White's career sack record at Tennessee, is the school's first defender selected in the draft's opening round since the Kansas City Chiefs picked Eric Berry fifth overall in 2010.
White also began his NFL career with the Eagles, playing for the franchise from 1985-92
The Nashville native Barnett was a consensus All-American for the Volunteers this year. Tennessee could have up to six players selected in the draft, which would be the most for the Vols since 2010.
Barnett will receive a signing bonus almost assuredly worth millions of dollars.
He released a "cover letter" to NFL teams through the Players' Tribune on Wednesday, expressing his desire to win a Super Bowl. In it, the self-proclaimed mama's boy described his mother as his best friend and inspiration.
"When I make it to the NFL, she knows that I'll be able to take care of her," Barnett wrote in the Players' Tribune feature. "She deserves for me to take care of her. But she doesn't want that. She's already told me that she's going to keep her same job at the UPS warehouse - on her feet, sweating, sorting packages on a tight deadline - even after I make it to the league."
Asked during the NFL Network's pre-draft show what makes her most proud of her son, Christine Barnett quickly replied that it's his work ethic.
"I get it from her," he quipped back.
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Barnett's name from the draft stage, Barnett buried his face in his hands and appeared to weep for a moment.
His mother offered a pat on the back.
"He fits our scheme," Eagles vice president of football operations Howie Roseman told reporters. "He fits the culture we're trying to build.
"We think we got a tremendous player and a tremendous person."
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com