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Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
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Anthony Barr is going to be a great football player.
via usatthebiglead.files.wordpress.com
While some people think that Khalil Mack and Jadeveon Clowney are better pass rushers than Anthony Barr, those two were already off the board when it came time for the Minnesota Vikings to make their selection.
And a great selection it was indeed.
At 6'5" 255 lbs with 33 1/2 " arms, Anthony Barr has great size and length for playing football. Barr transitioned from RB to OLB in 2012. In his first season at the position he totaled 13.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for losses, adding 10 sacks, 20 tackles for losses, and three forced fumbles in 2013. He is a versatile defender who has the capability to fulfill multiple roles in new head coach Mike Zimmer's (former Cincinnati Bengal's Defensive Coordinator) defense. He has outstanding speed, agility, and acceleration. With his freakish combination of size and athleticism, he compares to none other than the Incredible Hulk on the football field.
Despite only having played on the defensive side of the ball of two seasons, playing as a 4-3 end he should immediately replace a significant amount of the production lost due to the absence of Jared Allen. Because of his success in coverage, he is sure to split time at OLB as well. Other than Chad Greenway, the Vikings lack any solid OLBs. Chad Greenway is 31 years old and missed 21 tackles last year.
Anthony Barr's only weaknesses are that he's raw, and kryptonite. In his pro day he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.41 seconds, which would have ranked first among defensive lineman at the combine by .12 seconds (Jadeveon clowney). That time also would have placed him .1 second ahead of the next fastest linebacker at the combine, and it would have actually been the fastest time run by a linebacker or defensive lineman since 2006. He also ran the fastest 3-cone drill of any defensive lineman at 6.82 seconds (third among linebackers). With who was left on the board, it would have been difficult for the Vikings to justify taking anyone else besides him with the 8th pick the draft.
1 Houston Texans (Imp) - Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville - [Explanation]
2 St. Louis Rams (starship 007) - Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson - [Explanation]
3 Jacksonville Jaguars (sports00fan00) - Jadeveon Clowney, DE, SC - [Explanation]
4 Cleveland Browns (InHinkieWeTrust) - Johnny Manziel, QB, TAMU - [Explanation]
5 Oakland Raiders (SleepingDuck) - Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo - [Explanation]
6 Atlanta Falcons (jimmyrustler) - Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn - [Explanation]
7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (AnthroEagle) - Blake Bortles, QB, UCF - [Explanation]
8 Minnesota Vikings (pot) - Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA - [Explanation]
9 Buffalo Bills (wow4444) -
10 Detroit Lions (kamjam) -
11 Tennessee Titans (NowWhat?) -
12 New York Giants (Anthony DiBona) -
13 St. Louis Rams (ILL Eagle) -
14 Chicago Bears (JerkyBoy) -
15 Pittsburgh Steelers (KJ Brophy) -
16 Dallas Cowboys (Patrick Wall) -
17 Baltimore Ravens (rohan915) -
18 New York Jets (del.champion) -
19 Miami Dolphins (HD) -
20 Arizona Cardinals (NCeagle) -
21 Green Bay Packers (ablesser88) -
22 Philadelphia Eagles (jhn) -
23 Kansas City Chiefs (PeaceVT) -
24 Cincinnati Bengals (deg0ey) -
25 San Diego Chargers (StoneColeKiller58) -
26 Cleveland Browns (P_Roach17) -
27 New Orleans Saints (bebin) -
28 Carolina Panthers (MikeKafka) -
29 New England Patriots (Amateur_Hour) -
30 San Francisco 49ers (AndyMcNabb) -
31 Denver Broncos (dceagles) -
32 Seattle Seahawks (eagles0132) -