Me, on March 22:

I don’t like to pump my own piston… but, you could’ve saved yourself six weeks of absolute nonsense, sports talk radio hysteria and big-headed bloviation if you just followed me on Twitter (@CrossingBroad). I don’t know why you’d read any other site!

Here’s what Dan, who predicted the Eagles would draft Barnett in his first mock today, wrote about him:

1 (14) – Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

Derek Barnett broke Reggie White’s sack record at Tennessee (recording his 33rd in what ended up being his final college game) and has been squarely in the conversation as a first-round target for the Eagles from the very beginning. The chatter has become more subdued since Charles Harris’ name broke, but ’tis the season for misdirection. I also like that Ray Didinger has been bullish on Barnett and stuck by him even as everyone else jumped around with who they mock to the Eagles at 14.

I can’t forget the first time I watched Barnett. It was last season’s game against Florida. He struggled in the first half (just like the entire Vols team) but came out wreaking havoc pretty much every snap in the second half and played a key role in spearheading Tennessee’s huge comeback from 21-3 down. After the third time he single-handedly ruined a Gators’ play-call, I asked my friend, a huge Vols fan with whom I was watching, “Alright, who’s this fucking guy, he’s a monster.” No, really, it happened!

Barnett registered at least one sack in every SEC game this past season and finished with 13.0 overall (19.0 total tackles for loss). He was a standout as a freshman from the moment he set foot on campus and an all-conference selection in each of his three seasons. Barnett isn’t an explosive, bendy, pure speed edge rusher and wins primarily with anticipation and quickness off the snap (6.96 three-cone at the Combine correlates with this attribute more than the 4.88 40-yard dash), accentuated by the ability to convert to power due to leverage and violent hands. He’s an effort player who hustles and competes until the whistle and was able to make a number of plays as a result of pursuit. Though Barnett’s athleticism isn’t top tier, he’s a good enough athlete for his size and, when combined with his smarts (just watch his interception in the red zone starting at 1:01 in the video below), makes for a defensive lineman who can impact the game in many different ways. Another thing to love about Barnett, who’s a true junior, is that he’s young and doesn’t turn 21 until late June (this has proven to be a highly predictive component of a prospect’s NFL success).