When the Detroit Lions traded up in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft to land Purdue LB Derrick Barnes, it was a well-received move. Barnes showed a lot of promise as a versatile backer for a team that had major issues at the position.
Barnes played extensively as a rookie, though he wasn’t nearly as effective as hoped. He struggled in coverage and missed too many tackle opportunities, something that Lions LB coach Kelvin Sheppard is working on cleaning up. Sheppard has not lost any confidence in Barnes. Far from it, in fact.
During Senior Bowl week, I asked Sheppard about Derrick Barnes and the up-and-down rookie season from the young LB. Monday’s OTA media session provided a nice follow-up.
“I’m even more excited about (Barnes) right now,” Sheppard said. “…He’s done everything and more that I have asked. He has completely bought in.”
Sheppard continued while noting the view on Barnes from others within the Lions organization.
“A lot of people around the building say they see a new guy. I see the guy I always thought was there,” Sheppard stated.
We then got a taste of Sheppard’s coaching philosophy.
“It starts with a coach believing in a player to be able to pull out the most in the player. If you go into that with high optimism and high thoughts and praise on a player, the player feels that. In turn, without knowing it, it’s kind of a mind game at the same time with the coach/player dynamic. And with that player, the sky is the limit.”
Barnes continues to work primarily as an off-ball linebacker. During last week’s minicamp, Barnes worked primarily with the second unit behind newcomer Chris Board and veteran Alex Anzalone. He did receive some first-team reps but also ceded a few second-team reps to rookie Malcolm Rodriguez. The Lions are working on finding combinations that work together well and that’s all part of the experimentation.
