From now until the 2023 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, a scouting report on Michigan TE AJ Barner.
#89 AJ Barner/TE Michigan – 6060, 251 pounds (Senior)
NFL Scouting Combine
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| AJ Barner | 6060/251 | 9″ | 33 3/8″ | 81 7/8″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.86 | 1.65 | 4.41 | 7.02 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’9″ | 34.5 | 22 |
*Testing from Pro Day
The Good
– Reliable as a blocker
– Shows his strength to gain yardage after the catch when it usually takes a handful of defenders to bring him down
– Great age and frame for development, with height being in the 91st percentile
– Has shown solid production working the short area of the field as a check-down option
– Flashed the ability to make difficult hands catches in traffic and through hits
– Overall solid pro day testing numbers, with his best measurable being the 3-cone (85th percentile) & broad jump (79th percentile)
– Has shown to win pretty consistently when lined up out wide
The Bad
– No combine testing numbers & pro day 40 time of a 4.84 would be in the 49th percentile
– On the field looks slow & clunky relative to his peers in the class, which limits him after the catch aside from strength
– Often relies on body catches instead of being a true hands catcher consistently
– Hasn’t shown to stretch the field at a high level in college, which opens concerns on whether he can win at the professional level
– Production is well below what you’d like, never reaching 250 yards in a single season
– Isn’t anything special as a route runner, which forces him into more difficult catches
Bio
– 21 years old (May 3rd, 2002)
– Started nine out of 30 games for Indiana from 2020 to 2022 and nine out of 15 games for Michigan in 2023
– 64 catches, 610 receiving yards, 5 receiving touchdowns, and 9.5 yards per catch in his college career
– 22 catches, 249 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, and 11.3 yards per catch in 2023
– Foot and back injuries in 2022 and an “injury-riddled 2021” season
– Three-star TE in his 2020 high school class from Aurora, OH
– Also played strong-side defensive end in high school, where he had 124 tackles
– Studied SPEA management at Indiana
– Said he left Indiana for Michigan to compete for a national championship
– Was voted as a team captain his junior year at Indiana
Tape Breakdown
I don’t think AJ Barner is particularly good after the catch, but it is a fact that he is extremely strong in how he goes about getting extra yardage. In this clip, he is lined up as the in-line tight end next to the left tackle with a drag route. He really creates no separation, and the Rutgers defender has a hand on his jersey the entire route. Through this, Barner is still able to make the catch with the defender on him and even drags the defender for the first down. In this clip, it really took two Rutgers defenders to bring Barner down, and that is a commonality in his film.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 23, 2024
For both Indiana and Michigan, Barner has shown to be reliable on big downs. Here, Barner is lined up as the lone receiver to the bottom of the screen with a fade route on third down. After creating once again virtually no separation, Barner is able to use his big frame and long arms to reach over the defensive back for the touchdown. This is how Rob Gronkowski made the vast majority of his money in the NFL, and Barner could carve a role for himself doing this more often.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 23, 2024
This is most definitely the hardest catch in Barner’s career from back in 2021. Once again, it is on third down, and Barner is lined up next to the right tackle with a simple nine route. The ball is placed a little far inside and behind the defender’s head. Usually, in this case, the receiver would try to attack inside by going around the defender, which nine times out of ten would cause an incompletion. Barner instead decided to go over the defender and pinned the ball against the defender’s helmet for the crazy completion on a free play due to the flag.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 23, 2024
This is just a small glimpse of Barner as a blocker but it really does set him up for success as a receiver as well. On this play, Barner is the last man next to the left tackle. His responsibility is to fly out and be the lead blocker on this screen. Barner does exactly that and takes the defender out of the play. Barner drives the defender so far outside that the receiver is even able to cut back outside for an additional yard to two. Barner displays good technique as a blocker and, as seen in this clip, power.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 23, 2024
As I touched on with the last clip, Barner’s blocking sets him up for success in the receiving game. He’s used in a lot of check-and-release plays that free him up space since it’s not unusual to see him pass-blocking. In this clip, Barner is the last man next to the right tackle with a check and release seam route. Barner is instantly given the ball, as there are really no defenders in the middle of the field. With the ball, Barner shows off some yards after the catch ability by making one defender miss. This is how Barner’s skillset can set the offense up for easy yardage on big downs.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) March 23, 2024
Conclusion
Michigan’s AJ Barner is the prototypical tight end complement in the NFL. He flashes a lot of good in his own right, but nothing that stands out about his game that truly gets you excited. He’s good at the gritty things you want to see in a tight end two, like blocking, being a check-down option, and making difficult catches through traffic.
I question the athletic traits that would really raise his ceiling, like speed and agility. These parts of his game that lack on the field trickle into him not being as good in other aspects, like yards after the catch and being able to stretch the field. A team should feel comfortable taking him in the fourth round because his floor as a rotational backup and special teamer is good enough for that range.
If he goes to a team with a certified starter, he can easily work into the offense and most likely outperform the expectations because he’s not the focal point. He wasn’t the focal point at Michigan and came up big when JJ McCarthy ran out of options. Barner gets overlooked by Brock Bowers and Ja’Tavion Sanders for good reasons, but after them, I’d argue Barner is right up there as the best in the class.
Projection: Early Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.2 – Rotational Player (Fourth Round)
Games Watched: Ohio State (2023), Rutgers (2023) Senior Bowl (2023), Ohio State (2022), Minnesota (2021)
