Eagles picked pass rusher Derek Barnett out of Tennessee with the 14th pick in the first round

If you had any doubts Eagles new Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas was not going to have an impact on the Eagles draft, those doubts were cast aside Thursday night when the Birds selected Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett with the 14th pick in the draft.

Barnett broke former Eagles great, the late Reggie White’s sack record at Tennessee with 33 sacks (White’s record 32).

It wasn’t a sexy pick but that is not Douglas’ style. He likes tough hard-nosed players and has been a believer that sack production in college usually transfers to the NFL.

Douglas spent 15 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens learning drafting skills under Ravens great General Manager Ozzie Newsome.

Douglas talked about Barnett and his ability to get quarterbacks to the ground, something the Eagles were not able to do consistently last season.

“What Derek is highly proficient at is at the top of his rush,” Douglas said minutes after the pick was made. “So when the D-lineman gets to the top, he is excellent, excellent ankle flex-ion, excellent ability to bend at the top and finish. He can really close. And he uses a variety of moves. He uses speed rush. He uses power, he can go speed to power on people. So you’re getting a guy that knows how to finish when he gets to the top of the rush.”

Roseman, Douglas and head coach Doug Pederson seemed truly pleased with the pick.

“We’re real excited to get Derek Barnett,” Roseman said. “He was the highest rated guy on our board. He was a player we did a lot of work on with Joe (Douglas) and his staff. We’re always going to build along the line, but at the same time we want to stick to our highest rated guys Joe and his staff put together. He (Barnett) fits our scheme and the culture we’re trying to build. We think we got a tremendous player and a tremendous person.”

Barnett was asked he felt coming to the Eagles after breaking White’s records this season

“Yeah, it’s just very ironic,” the 6-foot-3, 265-pounder said. “It’s crazy how everything all plays out. I couldn’t even get that I was going to come here and that Reggie White played here. You know what I’m saying? He’s probably is the greatest person to ever play the game. It’s just very ironic, and I’m just very excited.”

Barnett was asked how much he knows about the Eagles.

“I know a good amount, actually” he said. “I know I’m coming into a great defensive organization, and also weapons on offense as well. Carson Wentz is a great leader, and a great ballplayer too. I’m going to be around a lot of great guys. I’m really excited to learn from them and get this ball rolling.”

Roseman was asked how great a factor was Schwartz’s scheme, wanting edge rushers? How much of a factor was that in deciding to go after Barnett?

“Well, anyone we pick we want them to fit our schemes offensively or defensively,” Roseman said. “It’s easy to watch Derek and picture what he’d do in this scheme. We’d believe in building up front on both sides of the ball and getting pressure on the quarterback. We think that helps everyone, it certainly helps the secondary when you get to the quarterback.

Douglas recently compared Barnett to Terrell Suggs. A Pro Bowl defensive lineman he drafted while with the Baltimore Ravens. In addition to tipping his hand, Douglas was asked if he thinks Barnett can reach the same heights as Suggs some day.

“Yeah, it’s funny,” Douglas said. “I actually did make a comparison to him and Terrell. Just from the perspective that both guys didn’t test outrageously at the combine setting or pro day setting. But both are highly productive players, high toughness, great people. Again, his production is unmatched, breaking a Hall of Fame player’s record at Tennessee.”

Barnett played well in college, Douglas was asked if he had reached his ceiling yet? Can he be a star or is he a rotation guy.

“No, I think there is a higher ceiling with Derek,” Douglas said. “I think he is going to get better. I think Chris [Eagles defensive line coach Chris Wilson] and Phillip [Eagles defensive quality control/assistant defensive line coach Phillip Daniels] are going to do a great job with him and improve some of his hand technique. He even said it in his interview after he was drafted, how he’s just scratching the surface of his talent level. So I expect him to definitely reach his full potential because of his make-up.”