PHILADELPHIA _ The Eagles selected Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett with the No. 14 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night in front of a spirited crowd along the Art Museum steps that heard that music from Rocky as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took the stage.
Barnett was a few feet away when his name was called. He held up an Eagles jersey in front of his new fans and can now stay in Philadelphia instead of jetting off to a new city.
"I'm glad I don't have to go too far," Barnett said. He later added, "I heard the fans are very passionate."
Barnett, 20, is 6-foot-3 and 259 pounds and ran a 4.88-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine. He broke former Eagles Hall of Famer Reggie White's sack record at Tennessee with 33 in three years. Barnett started as a freshman and was among the best defensive linemen the Southeastern Conference each year. He was first-team all-American and first-team all-SEC last season with 13 sacks.
The Eagles selected Barnett over top prospects such as Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen and tight end O.J. Howard. They zeroed in on a productive player who can help a pass rush that totaled only 16{ sacks among all of its defensive ends last season. Their top three defensive ends (Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, and Chris Long) will all be at least 29 this season.
Most of Barnett's sacks came against SEC competition, giving the Eagles' brass confidence that his skills could translate. That production trumped poor combine testing. Barnett said Wednesday that he's a "great football player ... not a great track star." Good thing the Eagles drafted him to play football. Barnett is praised for his first step at the line of scrimmage and the way he uses his hands to disengage blockers. He's also tough against the run in addition to his pass-rush skills, a balance that teams liked in the pre-draft process.
The Eagles benefited from an early run on quarterbacks (there were three in the top 12 picks) and an early run on wide receivers (there were three in the first nine). That pushed top defensive players down the draft board, giving the Eagles the chance to bolster their unit with a prospect who could have gone in the top 10.
It was the 10th time in 21 years that the Eagles spent their top draft pick on a defensive lineman or an edge rusher, showing the value that the team places on the position. Jim Schwartz's defense is built around its pass rush with four linemen, and Howie Roseman's team-building philosophies includes an emphasis on defensive ends.
By taking Barnett, the Eagles still have not plugged a hole at cornerback or improved the offensive weapons for Carson Wentz. Those could be priorities for the next two days. On Thursday night, Barnett was the target.
