Scouting Brandon Barnes
The Jets announced a couple of roster moves yesterday, so we're going to be looking in-depth at the two players added to the roster. The first is tight end Brandon Barnes.
The 23-year old Barnes is an undrafted rookie out of Alabama State. He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions but released by them during training camp.
Background
Barnes was a walk-on at Alabama State before eventually earning a full scholarship. In four years with the Hornets, he had modest production with just 24 catches and five touchdowns. He posted career highs of 13 receptions, 199 yards and three scores in his junior year but was held to just five catches in eight games as as a senior.
After an impressive pro day workout, Barnes had improved his stock to the point where some people were talking about him as a possible late-round pick. However, he went undrafted and was eventually signed by the Detroit Lions, although they released him during training camp.
The Jets announced that they had signed Barnes yesterday morning, following an injury to Jason Vander Laan.
Let's move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Barnes brings to the table, based on extensive research and film study.
Usage
Barnes displayed some pretty good versatility at Alabama State, lining up inline, in the slot, as an h-back and regularly being put in motion.
Measurables/Athleticism
Barnes has good size at 6'5" and 255 pounds and the frame to potentially add more weight after having only been 205 pounds when he arrived at ASU. Moreover, he has excellent length, with 35.5" arms, and big hands at just under 11 inches.
His pro day numbers were good too. He ran a sub 4.7 40-yard dash and posted a 35.5 inch vertical and a 7.03 three cone drill. His bench press and broad jump were about average and his short shuttle was reportedly 4.28 despite the fact he slipped.
Deep threat
Barnes can stretch the field by getting down the seam, although he doesn't really have outstanding acceleration off the line. His longest play was a blown coverage as he was left uncovered on a wheel route and ran down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown.
Routes
Based on his limited collegiate production, Barnes didn't show much in the way of route running variety. He can run down the seam and over the middle, but learning a full route tree will probably be a learning curve for him.
Hands
Scouts at Barnes' pro day were raving about the way he was plucking balls out of the air with his big hands. He seems to snatch the ball cleanly on his game film too and can hang on when taking a hit.
Here he goes to ground for a nice diving catch in the end zone:
There isn't much evidence that Barnes dropped many passes in college, although he did juggle this catch. Nevertheless, he adjusted well to the flight of the ball in the air and showed good concentration to come down with it:
Yards after the catch
Despite his timed speed, Barnes has a lumbering gait, but his size and power make him hard to haul down to the ground.
He doesn't seem to break many tackles but can run away from linebackers if he gets separation and will fall forwards for extra yardage at the end of a play.
Red zone
Barnes averaged a touchdown on every five catches in college, so he did flash some ability to be a scoring threat. He has shown that he can go up and over a defender for a catch, notably on a two-point conversion where he did that while double-covered.
Run Blocking
Barnes himself acknowledged that he needs to improve as a blocker but believes he has shown improvements over the course of his career. Scouting reports suggest he's very raw as a blocker, but he does make some contributions at the lower level through sheer effort and size.
Barnes' biggest flaw is in terms of his technique. He tends to lean into his blocks and doesn't have good balance. However, when he's able to block someone straight ahead of him he can make a good impact:
Barnes made several impact blocks on the exact same play as the one above, probably because it didn't require much in the way of technique. However, he's also shown he can block down on a defender effectively and can peel off to the second level in space:
Ultimately, though, there are signs that he might struggle against the more talented NFL-level players. Here, he whiffs on a block at the second level:
On this play, he doesn't get his hands engaged, allowing the defender to leverage his way back to the inside to help bottle up the run:
Pass Blocking
ASU had a tendency to spread things out in passing situations, so there wasn't film available of Barnes staying in to pass block. Based on his run blocking abilities, he'd probably be limited to cut-blocking on quick passes anyway and is probably better off running a route to occupy a front seven defender.
Special Teams
Barnes did play plenty of special teams in college, making his best contributions as a blocker on the kick return unit. He lights someone up here as he comes across the field from the left side, but - as before - he would be less effective in situations where he might need to stay on a block:
Instincts/intelligence
While there was no footage suggesting that Barnes made any mental errors, scouting reports suggest that he lacks natural instincts in terms of making adjustments when running routes and his instincts as a blocker can be questionable at times.
Attitude
Having gone from walk-on to leader over the course of his career, Barnes obviously knows how to fight for a spot. He's a hard-worker and did some community outreach work while still at school.
Injuries
Barnes missed several games in his senior year with an undisclosed injury but doesn't seem to have suffered any serious injuries.
Conclusions
Barnes is a long-term project rather than a candidate to make contributions on the roster in the short term. His measurables are enticing but he has a raw skill-set, so could be an option for the practice squad.
With Vander Laan injured and Austin Seferian-Jenkins set to miss the first two games through suspension, there is an opportunity for someone to make it onto the roster for those first couple of games, but Barnes will really have to impress in these last two preseason games to earn consideration for that and it's unlikely he'll get enough reps to do so.
UP NEXT: We'll take a look at running back Jahad Thomas, who was also added yesterday.