NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Wyoming IOL Caden Barnett

Caden Barnett is a barrel-chested, powerful in-line blocker without much wiggle who can dig out down linemen on angle-drive blocks, feeds on doubles, and pulls but offers marginal ability to recover or sustain late in the rep.

Barnett is a 6'4", 316-pound offensive line guard who entered the Wyoming program as a 3-star recruit in the 2021 class.

Harkey appeared in 12 games in his redshirt freshman season in 2022 at Colorado and four games in 2023 at Texas State, both at right guard, before starting 12 games at right tackle in 2024, earning All-Sun Belt Third Team honors.

Brandon Thorn: Brandon is the author of the Trench Warfare newsletter, which focuses exclusively on offensive and defensive line evaluation. He also contributes as an analyst to Establish the Run, serves as the scouting coordinator for OL Masterminds and is a selection committee member for the Joe Moore Award. 

Where He Wins

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— Good square power to deliver jolt at the point of attack and dig out defenders in the post on double-teams, pulls and down blocks.

— Has the lower body strength and firm base to eat power down the middle in his anchor.

— Will overwhelm and bury smaller targets that get caught on his track.

— Flashes an effective inside/drag hand to slow down and collect counter moves across his face.

Areas of Improvement

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— Sawed off build with below average agility and quickness creates soft edges and short corners.

— Struggles to stay attached, re-leverage and keep his balance against slippery defenders late in reps.

— Will play short on base blocks exposing his chest and leaving him vulnerable against the push-pull technique.

Grade, Rank and Pro Comparison

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GRADE: 5.9 (Backup/Draftable - 6th Round)

COMPARABLE GRADE: KT Leveston (6.0 in 2024), Atonio Mafi (5.6 in 2023), Cordell Volson (5.7 in 2022)

OVERALL RANK: 203

POSITION RANK: IOL22

PRO COMPARISON: Discount Gennings Dunker

Measurables and Testing Data

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Height: 6'4"
Weight: 316
Arm: 33 ⅜"
Hand: 9 ½"

40-Yard Dash: 5.03
10-Yard Split: 1.73
Vertical: 31"
Broad: 8'9"
Shuttle: 4.63
3-Cone: 7.65
Bench: 22