Josh Barrett

One of the funnier moments of the 2010 season was when Josh McDaniels and the Broncos tried to put safety Josh Barrett on IR, but the Patriots snagged him before he could clear waivers.

It’s just the kind of move the Patriots often make, with an eye to the future, and just a dash of FU for the past. Specifically things like this (which by the way was the peak of Josh McDaniels Denver coaching career):

So with the Pats extending Barrett we were wondering how he might fit into the plans. All we’ve really heard is that he’s a great Special Teams player, which is of course all we really heard about Devin McCourty before he got here and look how that turned out.

Here’s Barrett’s scouting report from when he was coming out…

Strengths: Exceptional athlete…great size…at 225 could play weak-side linebacker in the NFL…superb speed at 4.35….hits like a rock…adds value to special teams on kickoffs and punt returns….can roam sideline to sideline…excels in zone-coverage…Can slide down and cover slot receivers as well as tight-ends…uses leverage to break off blocks…

Negatives: Struggles in man to man coverage…failed to build on his junior season… easily bites on play-action and pump fakes…focuses too much on the quarterback and backfield…although he has excellent straight line speed struggles in change of direction…what position will he play in the NFL?…strong against the run…injuries are a concern… 

Overall: Barrett is a fantastic athlete and great strong safety prospect. His speed to line up against slot receivers along with his overall presence in the middle of the field will strike fear in opposing receivers. Barrett might be best suited to add 10-15 pounds and slide down to weak-side linebacker, where he could excel into an excellent player.

Clearly if he projects to something more than a Special Teams player it would be a big, in-the-box safety in the mold of Brandon McGowan. Clearly BB really has a place in his system for the big, hybrid safety. He’s been trying to get a good one for the last few seasons, starting with Tank Williams, then McGowan, and to some extent Jarrad Page this past year.