Why the Vikings Should Be Excited About Anthony Barr's Season Debut

While the Minnesota Vikings' rookie quarterback sat on the bench Sunday in St. Louis, the team's other first-round pick—linebacker Anthony Barr—was busy putting together what can only be considered an illuminating NFL debut.

The ninth overall pick in May's draft did a little bit of everything during the Vikings' 34-6 trouncing of the Rams in Week 1.

He covered running backs, receivers and tight ends in space. He rushed the quarterback from a variety of blitz looks. He played the run, generally without fear. Overall, Barr finished with a team-high seven tackles, one quarterback hit and one hurry.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he also made three "stops," or tackles constituting an offensive failure, and allowed just 16 yards on four targeted passes in coverage. He graded out as PFF's second-best defensive rookie in Week 1 (+2.0), behind only cornerback Jason Verrett of the San Diego Chargers (+3.5). 

Even head coach Mike Zimmer can appreciate those analytics. 

"How much time do you have?" Zimmer quipped when asked Monday about some of the positive strides Barr has made early in his NFL career. 

"He's going to keep having those splash plays, and he's going to keep continuing to get better," Zimmer said.

Barr's splash plays jumped off the screen against St. Louis. 

Here is the 6'5", 255-pound rookie handling former first-round pick Tavon Austin in the flat (on his second-ever regular-season snap, no less):

NFL Game Rewind

Austin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds coming out of West Virginia in 2013. Yet Barr has no problem handling him in space before rag-dolling the 174-pound receiver out of bounds for no gain. It was an impressive display of pure athleticism in an otherwise stressful situation.

The Vikings are clearly comfortable putting Barr in space. He was asked to play coverage on 25 of his 62 snaps. The rookie allowed four catches on four targets, but the longest gain he surrendered was a 10-yard completion to tight end Jared Cook. The other three catches were good for just six yards total. 

In the third quarter, Barr showed he's entirely unafraid to seek out contact against the run: 

NFL Game Rewind

The rookie doesn't get credit in the box score for this play, but his work paved the way for Chad Greenway, who did make the tackle. Barr attacked downhill against the lead fullback in the hole, which allowed a clean release for Greenway to make the stop at the line of scrimmage for minimal gain. The little things sometimes make the biggest difference. 

Here's a play where Barr does get all the credit for his individual brilliance:

NFL Game Rewind

The Rams set up a well-executed screen play, which had two blockers out in front of a free Benny Cunningham. Barr is the only Vikings defender in the immediate path of Cunningham, and the Rams send both lead blockers to clean him out of the play. Not so fast. 

Barr knifed through the double team and made the stop for just a three-yard gain. How did he pull it off? 

For starters, Barr recognized the screen immediately and made a bee-line to the receiver. By the time the blockers are able to make contact, Barr was already approaching top speed. He proceeded to then bowl over one blocker and slide past the other, giving him just enough time to extend his arms and trip up Cunningham. A potential big play was ended after three yards. 

Barr's final impact play put the bow on Minnesota's impressive Week 1 win. 

On 3rd-and-4, Zimmer called an inside stunted blitz with Barr and nose tackle Linval Joseph. Barr works from his left to right, rubbing off Joseph, who breaks inside. Rookie guard Greg Robinson has no chance at staying in front of Barr, and the Vikings linebacker greets quarterback Austin Davis with a nasty collision: 

NFL Game Rewind

Davis does get rid of the football, but the still frame gives a good indication of what's coming next. Safety Harrison Smith is already locked in on Cook, who is running a short drag route over the middle. When Davis has to get rid of the football hot, Smith steps in front of Cook and returns his well-timed interception 81 yards for a touchdown. 

Barr was allowed to rush just 13 times. He still managed two quarterback disruptions, rushing from both linebacker and defensive end. His quarterback hit was much more than just a singular stat, as it directly caused a turnover and defensive touchdown. 

Granted, the Vikings played the first half against Shaun Hill, the backup-turned-starting quarterback in St. Louis, and the second half against Davis, a former undrafted free agent who is now the No. 2. But you can't discredit the obvious improvements in the Minnesota defense, which ranked dead last in points last season. The Vikings allowed just six on Sunday in St. Louis. 

Barr is clearly a big part of the progression. 

His ability to play a variety of roles—whether it be in space in coverage, going forward in the pass rush or fitting the run on the strong side—allows Zimmer and the Vikings to be creative as blitzers but also in the back seven. Barr is clearly cut from the modern mold of an NFL linebacker: fast, aggressive and incredibly versatile. 

Never one to let a motivational opportunity pass by, Zimmer reiterated Monday that Barr still has areas where he needs to get better.  

"The things Anthony has to clean up are now, some of his alignments aren't precise enough, so he has to make a really great play when he can make an easy play," Zimmer said. "There's still some pass rush things he can do a lot better."

Zimmer anticipates Barr will make strides through experience. As the game slows down, Barr can hit another gear. 

"Once he starts feeling a little more comfortable with his alignments things will come a little smoother," Zimmer said. "I know he's thinking quite a bit. I just keep looking forward to him doing the things he's been doing." 

A splashy debut should have the Vikings excited about Barr's future. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2