Patriots Fans are comparing Barmore to big Vince Wolfork, yet many analysts say Barmore will play mainly on 3rd downs as a rookie. If Barmore was a Big Vince clone, wouldn't he be primarily playing on first and second down? You know, the running downs.
Fans are looking at Barmore with beer goggles. Let's revisit some of Barmore's scouting reports and see if I can help clear up where his run stopping abilities lie.
First, let's look at what Phil Perry said about Barmore. Perry wrote in April, "Barmore is an ideal fit for what Bill Belichick wants in a 3-4 defensive end. We identified Barmore as the best player at that spot when it came to fitting Belichick's wish list of traits laid out for Browns scouts all the way back in 1991."
That sounds more like Richard Seymour than it does Vince Wilfork. I don't recall anyone saying Wilfork was a defensive end but let's see what others have to say, and I did include one quote from the Patriots organization. So stay tuned.
Jeff Howe of the Athletic wrote, "With the Patriots clearly planning to run a 3-4 base defense, Barmore can play defensive end in the three-man front and inside in sub-package four-man fronts..."
Howe seconds what Perry said about Barmore playing defensive end, and says Barmore will see some time as a rotationary piece on the defense but wasn't finished there.
Howe added, "He has some good punch as a pass rusher, so expect him to get some early chances on third down before earning snaps on run downs. Don’t be surprised if Barmore is the second-best pass rusher behind Guy among the Patriots’ defensive tackles."
Alex Barbour if Prime Time Sports Talk compared Barmore to Cameron Heyward and said with development he could be great.
Here's what Barbour said about Barmore's run stopping ability, "This was a surprise. Barmore has very little impact in the run game. His push is negligible, and there is little done to shed blocks. This will heavily limit his potential as a nose tackle, but that should not be his role in the first place. There are some plays that show the tools to develop into a good run defender. The issue is that those tools are seldom found. Given his lack of experience, this could easily be mitigated. The ceiling is sky high on Barmore."
Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun said, "Dub him one of the top boom-or-bust prospects in this year’s draft. Other scouts have picked at him for failing to establish consistent leverage advantages against the run..."
Sravan Gannavarapu of the last word wrote about Barmore, "His timing can be off, and as a result, he can get overmatched by stronger offensive linemen. Though his initial burst is top-notch, his closing speed can be questionable at times, and as such, he ends up opening a lane for the offense instead. It can be fixed with coaching, but it will take the right system to thrive. His upside may be tremendous, but it all comes down to coaching."
Big Vince was known for clogging lanes. I don't ever recall anyone saying that Wilfork opened lanes for the offense to run through but let's continue to see what else is out there.
Alex Barth of CLNS Media wrote about Barmore, "They could try him inside, or move him to 3-4 end. While he develops his overall game, expect to see him as a pass-rush specialist, in a similar role to the one Adam Butler played last year."
Barth wasn't done adding, "Depth should allow the Patriots to be patient with Barmore as he develops, but also provides the opportunity for quite the rotation once he’s ready."
Mario Tovar of Raiders Ramble wrote, "What stands out as far as PFF’s concerned, is Barmore’s ability to get to the quarterback from his position. Boosting the Raiders’ pass rush from the inside should be of the utmost importance. For the 2020 season, Barmore has a 90.3 pass-rush grade. Unfortunately, he’s seen as a liability against the run, PFF gave him a 65.8 grade.."
Tovar added, "Barmore’s weakness is in stopping the run and you can (see it) in some highlights below. Be that as it may, his knack for getting to opposing signal-callers would be a welcomed boost."
Athlon sports wrote about Barmore, "He has the length, strong hands and upper-body power to do more, but he has yet to show he can harness it. In the run game, he’s sometimes late to locate the ball, getting caught up in battling a blocker or running himself out of the play."
Arnav Sharma of Sports Illustrated praised Barmore's ability to draw double teams but against the run he wrote, "Conversely, Barmore's tape against the run is difficult to watch. He is regularly moved back 2-3 yards and often loses sight of his gap. While he is occasionally able to make plays against zone runs where he is single-teamed, this is once again due to his lateral rush ability. Seldom does Barmore show any kind of pure vertical push or penetration."
Like most of the sources on this list, the Game Haus praised Barmore's pass rushing ability but against the run they they weren't as kind.
Game Haus wrote, "Barmore can play with too high of a pad level. When he plays too high, he loses all of his leverage and power. While he has good strength, it doesn’t matter in these situations because players with less strength, but more leverage can win the rep. The end result sees Barmore pushed backwards on running plays and being stifled on pass rushes."
Zach Goodall of Sports Illustrated also chimed in, writing, "His power will also need to improve against run blocks when blockers attack him vertically, in order to maintain gap responsibility and make his way to the ballcarrier to create plays in the backfield."
Goodall would add, "Barmore should not be an immediate starter with his first NFL team. He would benefit from beginning in a late-down, pass-rushing role while developing his run-stuffing ability behind the scenes. A year in a depth role behind accomplished defensive ends/tackles could teach Barmore a lot and turn him into a productive, all-around starter in year two."
Eric Edholm of Yahoo sports wrote, "Can vacate his gap and run himself out of the play with wide rush angles or freelancing style. Requires more discipline in his approach. Not a reliable tackler yet — lets runners get out of his grasp too often."
While like many on this list, Eric praised the pass rush abilities of Barmore but like most people in this article, he had more criticism to add to his rushing abilities.
Edholm added, "Fails to locate the ball at times — sucked in on draws and screens. Can be stubborn to make his initial rush work, even after it has been stalled. Will get half-manned and turned sideways on tandem blocks. Doesn’t always win leverage battles vs. the run. Tends to play high, so his pad level can be improved."
And I saved the best for last, writer for the Patriots Mike Dussalt wrote about Barmore. Here's what Dussalt listed as his weakness.
Dussalt wrote, "Ceiling will be determined by how disciplined he can stay against the run… At his best on the move, must continue to develop two-gap ability but has all the necessary traits to do so… Holding up against double teams will a be key area for development in New England…"
The main thing I wanted to show is Barmore is nowhere near Vince Wilfork at this point in his career. Maybe he can be developed into a run stuffer but at the moment he's a hybrid tackle-end pass rusher. Who likely won't plug many wholes against the run early in his career.
Fans should expect to see more of Barmore on third down and in passing situations, where he is most valuable.
The Patriots didn't have to worry about developing a run stopper until Vince Wolfork left in 2015. They went three years before acquiring Danny Shelton. And it took a year to develop Shelton and then after his second year, they let him walk in 2020.
The Patriots saw a freeway sized hole open up through their line for running backs to run through. It's fair to say people shouldn't expect Barmore to be on the field in early downs consistently until the 2022 season at the earliest. And with Barmore's abilities, when he is on the field, expect that he might not even be playing tackle.
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