HEIGHT: 6’4″
WEIGHT: 236
POSITIVES:
— Possesses impressive size and athleticism for a contemporary NFL linebacker.
— Demonstrates speed, quick change of direction, and flexible hips, allowing him to effectively cover tight ends in man-to-man situations.
— Excellent lateral movement skills help him close throwing windows while playing zone coverage.
— Uses his hands effectively in coverage to disrupt routes and maintain positioning.
— In run defense, he utilizes his hands to engage blocks and plays physically at the point of attack.
— Agile enough to execute gap exchanges and stunts effectively after the snap.
— Shows patience and athleticism to navigate through traffic as a run defender without getting trapped.
NEGATIVES:
— Lacks the strength to disengage from offensive linemen, making it challenging to maintain his position against more powerful blockers.
— Tends to confront blocks head-on rather than moving to the side, which can lead to loss of gap control and contributes to difficulties in escaping blocks.
— Can sometimes over-pursue plays on the back side of runs, which opens up cutback lanes.
— His eye discipline in zone coverage is lacking; he tends to focus too much on the backfield and can be easily manipulated by quarterbacks.
NOTES
— Born December 30, 2003
— Rated as a 4-star recruit in the 2022 class by 247Sports
— 2023 Injuries: Season-ending leg injury, missing 6 games
— Named a Second-Team Freshman All-American in 2022 and Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year
— Father, Paul, was a two-sport athlete (football and baseball) at Utah and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays; mother, Mikki, played basketball at Utah and is in the school’s Hall of Fame; sister, Dani, was an All-American volleyball player at Utah; brothers, Cody and Jackson, played football at Utah and are currently in the NFL.
OVERALL
Lander Barton comes from a highly athletic family, a trait that is evident in his performance on the field. His movement skills form the basis of his game, providing him with the agility and flexibility needed for effective man coverage and tighter throwing lanes in zone. His lateral mobility also allows him to navigate through traffic against the run and execute gap exchanges effectively.
Against the run, Barton plays with physicality and delivers impactful hits when coming downhill. However, this aspect may not transition smoothly to the next level, as he often struggles to maintain his position and disengage from more powerful offensive linemen. For instance, in a matchup against Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga in 2023, Barton faced challenges.
To become more effective against the run early in his NFL career, Barton needs to develop techniques for disengaging from blocks and leveraging his quickness and athleticism to slip past linemen reaching the second level. This improvement will be crucial as he works on building strength.
Overall, Barton possesses good size, athleticism, and technique to become an effective every-down linebacker in the NFL, but finding ways to defeat blocks is essential. He has the versatility to play as both a MIKE or SAM linebacker in various schemes.
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