On Thursday Lance Zierlein of NFL.com pegged five players from the 2017 NFL Draft that he predicted will have breakout years in 2018. On the list was San Francisco 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Oakland Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley, Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, and of course the reason for this piece, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett.
“The 14th overall pick in 2017 got out of the gates with a solid rookie season, posting five sacks as a rotational defensive end.