KNOXVILLE – Derek Barnett proved plenty about his abilities as a football player during his record-setting three-year career at Tennessee.
There’s still more for the All-America defensive end to prove heading into April’s NFL draft.
Barnett is projected widely as a first-round draft pick, but where he lands in what is a loaded class at his position could be determined by what he shows NFL personnel between now and draft night.
In December ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said Barnett would go in the early or middle parts of the opening round, but in his first mock draft released Thursday he had Tennessee’s career sacks leader going to the Falcons with the 31st pick.
“I want to see how he tests,” Kiper said later Thursday during a conference call. “Does he test out well enough? That’s the question there. He could be going a little earlier. Barnett could have gone anywhere between 13 and where I gave him to Atlanta at 31. There’s a fluid rating on him for that reason. I want to see how he tests.”