Defensive back hopes to make immediate impact
ASHBURN – The YouTube clip increased his popularity. It started with him drilling a running back; it ended with the back on the ground losing a cup or more of a sports drink he had probably consumed earlier in the game.
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But Kevin Barnes, the Redskins third-round pick, is known for more than just his hits. It’s also his brains — he scored a 41 on the Wonderlic test, the highest score by any potential draft pick this year. And he’s smart enough to know the situation he’s getting into with Washington.
“I know they just re-signed DeAngelo [Hall], I know Carlos [Rogers] is on the last year of his deal and I know [Fred] Smoot is getting older,” Barnes said. “I’m ready to compete and try and have an immediate impact.”
Barnes, a Glen Burnie native, was projected to be a mid-to-late round prospect, so he probably went a bit higher than some experts anticipated.
But he also is coming off an injury, which led his stock to fall a little bit. Barnes suffered a fractured left shoulder blade as a senior, delivering a hit vs. Wake Forest, and missed the last six games, including the bowl game.
“If he played the whole year he would have been a higher pick,” Maryland secondary coach Kevin Lempa said. “He has to get stronger, gain a little weight.”
His jarring hit on Cal running back Jahvid Best turned into a YouTube sensation, partly because Best threw up on the field at the end.
“He packs a wallop,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said.
But the 6-foot, 187-pound Barnes says his size and speed are what will get him noticed.
“I can compete with anybody,” Barnes said. “I’m a big corner, but I move like a smaller guy. So I feel like being a big corner I can compete with the big receivers and move with the smaller receivers.”
Said Lempa, “The qualities he has will match well with receivers in the NFL — good height, great speed. He has quickness; he’s very sudden. That’s the difference because the receivers are very quick. He can match that. He’s the only guy who could cover [Darrius] Heyward-Bey.”
Rick Snider contributed to this report
