Derek Barnett Declares for 2017 NFL Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he is headed for the 2017 NFL draft:

The 6'3", 265-pound menace has developed into one of the most feared pass-rushers in college football. He racked up 13 sacks, which was tied for sixth-most in the nation, and 19 tackles for a loss during his junior season at Tennessee in 2016. 

After an opening three games in which he didn't have a sack, Barnett recorded all of his sacks in the final 10 games of the season, including a three-sack effort against South Carolina on Oct. 29.

It was the second straight season that he recorded double-digit sack outputs as he put up 32 in his three years at Tennessee. 

Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com broke down his greatest strengths on the edge:

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The best traits that Barnett illustrates are an ability to sink his hips and dip under tackles to get leverage in chasing down the quarterback. … He shows a nice ability to use his hands and feet at the same time. Tackles try to get a hold of Barnett, but he has strong hands to slap them away and get free of blocks. Once Barnett is free, he has a real burst to close and is adept at getting the quarterback to the ground. 

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Thanks to his efforts on the defensive end, Tennessee went 9-4 this season, which ended with a 38-24 win over Nebraska in the Music City Bowl. During that game, Barnett recorded six tackles and one sack.

NFL teams that are looking for a boost at defensive end will likely have Barnett on the top of their lists considering he is one of the nation's premier collegiate talents on the defensive line alongside Texas A&M's Myles Garrett and Alabama's Jonathan Allen. 

In WalterFootball.com's latest mock draft, Barnett is slated to go No. 8 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, while Garrett is at No. 1 to the Cleveland Browns and Allen is at No. 4 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.