Position: Defensive Tackle
NFL Grade: 6.70 (year one quality starter)
Stats: Barmore earned a first-team All-America selection from CBS Sports and a second-team selection by multiple other outlets following his sophomore season in 2020 for the Crimson Tide. As an interior lineman, he recorded 37 tackles and a team-high 8.0 sacks on the year, while adding 9.5 tackles for loss. Barmore also made plays on the ball, breaking up three passes and forcing three fumbles last year.
Barmore was a four-star prospect coming out of Philadelphia, Penn. and one of the nation’s top defensive line prospects before committing to Alabama. He redshirted his first year before seeing action in 2019, first as a rotational player, playing in all 12 games and making one start. In 2020, he started every game for the Tide and it all culminated in his being named the Defensive Most Valuable Player in the title game against Ohio State. He had 2.0 tackles for loss with one sack against the Buckeyes and registered five total tackles, tying his season high.
Comments: NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein’s list of strengths for Barmore are over double that of his weaknesses list and for good reason. Barmore redshirted his freshman year at Alabama, stuck behind a deep defensive line but then made the most of his opportunity, starting in 2019. He fully bloomed by the end of the 2020 season proving Bama just has dudes behind dudes behind dudes and they’re likely the greatest recruiting school in the nation.
According to NFL.com, Barmore is thought to be a year-one starter that will make an immediate impact on any team that’s able to snatch him up.
“Attack-oriented defensive tackle with a big body, violent hands and the talent to work his way around blocks and find the football,” wrote Zierlein. “Barmore tends to be in the lead and take control of a majority of reps. His hands and feet sing in harmony and allow him to stay active and free from attempts to sustain blocks against him. His hands are heavy and powerful but also sudden and efficient, which creates early win opportunities for him in the run game and as a pass rusher. Barmore can be his own worst enemy when he freestyles his run fits and prematurely gives away positioning when posting up in read-and-react mode. He’s exceptional at finding a blocker’s edge and swiping past the outside hand to bring the ruckus inside the pocket. While he has similar size and skill set, it doesn’t feel like he’s as long at the point of attack as past Alabama defensive tackles now in the pros. Barmore’s explosive first step, violent hands and upper-body power are the ingredients of a three-down defender with the versatility to play a number of positions in an even or odd front as an impactful rookie starter.”
Though the Buccaneers are likely returning all of their defensive starters and managed to retain some of their rotational players on the defensive line like Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, for instance, that part of the defense is helped tremendously by fresh legs. How aggressive the defense can be is predicated on how effective the defensive line rotation is and so even with returning most everyone from last season, having another guy to work into the middle next to Vita Vea or Ndamukong Suh especially is going to create opportunities for others all over the defense. The Bucs’ defense is known for their aggressive, attacking style and from all the attributes Zierlein gives Barmore on NFL.com, it seems like Barmore would fit right in. Now, the question is if he’ll be available at No. 32.