Eagles' Jim Schwartz on Derek Barnett: Breaking Reggie White's college sack record is 'going to get your attention pretty quick'
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz says first-round pick Derek Barnett's work in practice so far helps explain how he took Reggie White's college sack record at Tennessee.
Jim Schwartz looked toward a mural of Reggie White in the Eagles' auditorium when discussing first-round pick Derek Barnett and immediately mentioned how Barnett broke the Hall of Famer's sack record at Tennessee.
"Anytime you can break any record that guy has, that's going to get your attention pretty quick," Schwartz said in his first public comments this offseason. "Played right away as a true freshman…was productive game-in, game-out. He's really tough. He's got a great center of balance. He's not on the ground very much."
The Eagles took Barnett at No. 14 overall believing that he can fit in Schwartz's scheme and help upgrade the Eagles' pass rush. Schwartz noted how Barnett was "good against the run [and] good against the pass," and that Barnett can play left defensive end and right defensive end. That balanced skill set will help him become an immediate contributor for the Eagles.
"How much can he contribute, how quickly he can be ready, is up to him – and coaches, it's our job to get him ready to be out there – but we're really excited about him," Schwartz said.
Barnett has already made an early impression. Schwartz mentioned how well Barnett has turned the corner and stayed low to the ground. He also singled out Barnett's effort in practice to the team, offering examples of Barnett chasing the ball.
"For a rookie to do that kind of stuff has been pretty impressive so far," Schwartz said.
The Eagles' defensive ends totaled only 16.5 sacks last season. They let go of Connor Barwin and added Barnett and Chris Long to a group that has Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham as starters. Schwartz said the pass rush in 2016 "reflected our defense and also reflected our team" – it started off hot and slumped in the middle of the season.
"I always told our defense that the engine that runs our defense is our defensive line and our pass rush," Schwartz said. "We need to be consistent from week-to-week, and we need to find ways for guys to be consistent. That being said, pass rush doesn't stand alone. … A lot of it has to do with our corner position. If you can cover for a long time, you can buy time to get the sackers there."
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