Eagles Draft Picks 2017: Grade Philadelphia’s pick of Derek Barnett

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Derek Barnett with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

The reaction at scene of the draft in Philadelphia was mixed. As Bleeding Green Nation was broadcasting live on our Facebook page, I noticed the crowd had mostly cheers but I heard some noticeable boos as well.

Personally, I think Barnett is a fine pick. Not an awesome pick. Not an exciting pick. But that certainly doesn’t mean it was a bad one.

Part of what made the Barnett pick so unexciting is that he’s not a skill player. It would have been exciting to get another weapon for Carson Wentz. But the top three wide receivers in this class went off the board in the first nine picks. So it’s not like the Eagles had a chance at them.

Another reason why this pick lacked excitement is that it was predictable. We’ve heard for some time now that the Eagles wanted to take a defensive end in the first round. And it turned out to be true.

There’s certainly some reason for optimism when it come to Barnett. How could you not be at least a little bit excited about the dude who broke Reggie White’s sack record at Tennessee? Not to mention this kid is only 20 years old and has a lot of room to grow.

If I had to grade the pick, I’d give it a solid B+. It wasn’t awesome, but it’s an above average pick. Pass rusher is a premiuim position in the league and hopefully Barnett can be an impact guy for years to come. Hopefully his impact can translate into more pressure on the quarterback which makes life easier on Philadelphia’s cornerbacks.

Grade the pick yourself below.