From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be profiling Michigan ILB Michael Barrett.
#23 MICHAEL BARRETT/ILB MICHIGAN – 5113, 233 LBS. (6TH YEAR R-SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Michael Barrett | 5113/233 | 8 1/2″ | 32 1/8″ | 78″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.72* | 1.64* | 4.55* | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | 31* | N/A |
* Pro Day Figures
THE GOOD
– Very solid and well-built frame
– Short-area burst is solid, shows best when blitzing
– Plenty of experience in coverage, solid in shallow-zone assignments
– Solid tackler, good play strength to wrap up and finish
– Good contact balance
THE BAD
– Shorter than ideal for ILB in the NFL
– Mental processing and reaction times are a step behind
– Limited athletic ability
– Loses sight of the ball carrier behind the line
– Turning 25 years old as a rookie
– Doesn’t have a great way to disengage from blocks
BIO
– Three-star prospect out of Lowndes HS in Valdosta, Ga.
– 24 years old, will be 25 in December
– Graduated with a degree in general studies, pursuing Master’s degree in social work
– Two-time third-team All-Big Ten selection
– Voted Michigan’s most improved player in 2022
– His 64 games are the most in program history; started 35 games
– 208 total tackles, 116 solo tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles, four passes defensed, and one defensive touchdown
– Team captain for the 2023 national championship team
– No notable injury history
– Quarterback and linebacker in high school
– Invited to Senior Bowl, but minor hamstring injury held him out
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Barrett was asked to drop into coverage a lot at Michigan, and he held up pretty well. He can flip his hips cleanly and turn and run, and he can cover ground to get into the hook/curl or flat zones. He also takes good angles and has good burst when tackling in the open field.
He is a little undersized and gets swallowed up by larger blockers pretty easily. He doesn’t have a great way to disengage. His play recognition runs a tad slow and so he hesitates his way into getting blocked, which compounds the issue.
His short-area burst is evident when blitzing the quarterback. When he has a simple assignment and doesn’t have to make reads, he can play fast.
Whenever Barrett does pull the trigger to come downhill to make open field tackles or fill a gap, he can close ground quickly. On this play he transitions from a backpedal and side shuffle to burst into the backfield to make a tackle in the open field.
CONCLUSION
Overall, Barrett doesn’t have good enough athletic ability to be a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, but he is comfortable in coverage and can run with running backs and tight ends. His size limitations will be a challenge against bigger NFL players. He is a strong tackler and takes good enough angles to be a special teamer, and that is where he will need to earn his way onto a roster. He compares to Dee Winters from last year’s draft out of TCU.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.2 – End of Roster/Practice Squad (6th-7th Round)
Games Watched: vs Alabama (2023), vs Washington (2023), vs Ohio State (2023)
