NFL Draft Profile: Amare Barno, Defensive End, Virginia Tech Hokies

#38
Pos: DE
Ht: 6052
Wt: 235
DOB: 4/26/99
Eligible: 2022
Blythewood, SC
Westwood

Amare Barno
Virginia Tech Hokies

Pros: 

Long frame with a ton of room for development going forward. Experience and athletic profile as a stand-up rusher suggest possible scheme versatility. Excellent tackle radius that he can use to reach backs in open field pursuit situations. Flashes the ability to uncork power as a bull rusher on occasion. Length is a gamechanger when he utilizes it properly and he can threaten almost any tackle when he gets extension. Able to disrupt passing lanes and create havoc when he identifies the release and gets his mitts up in time.

Cons: 

Does not have adequate play strength for working with his hand in the dirt yet. Unreliable anchor and poor angles as a run defender will get him driven out of gaps. Lacks technical development with his hand usage as a pass-rusher. Average bend isn’t going to threaten athletic offensive tackles. Ineffective block shedder. Average lateral agility limits the angles that he can attack. Not an imposing player even in the run game, as he tackles more like an oversized linebacker than an edge defender. Fails to counter effectively after his first move gets shut down. First step is modest.

Summary: 

A JUCO transfer who moved from linebacker to defensive end in 2020, Barno launched into elite company by producing 16 tackles for a loss in his first full season of action with the Hokies. The long and lean pass-rusher has an excellent body type that figures to fill out as he continues to develop. While he has remarkable length at his disposal, his lack of refinement and high-end athletic traits for the position hold him back as a quarterback hunter. He will be a liability in the run game until improving his anchor and maximizing leverage, so a team that invests in him will need patience before seeing returns. Overall, Barno projects as a camp roster player who has the physical upside to be a valuable developmental practice squad piece, although he must take major steps forward with his game to warrant an extended look as a rosterable player at the NFL level.

One-Liners

Jarvis: “Overall, Barno projects as a camp roster player who has the physical upside to be a valuable developmental practice squad piece, although he must take major steps forward with his game to warrant an extended look as a rosterable player at the NFL level.”
Dietz: “Barno has some intriguing closing speed and a frame that could put some weight on, but at this stage, he is too small and weak to be a contributing NFL player.”

Grades

Jarvis: 5.3/6.0 - XFL/CFL to Developmental
Dietz: 5.9 / 6.6