Speed Freak Kalon Barnes Intrigues Bears As Draft Looms
Remember what Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus have said from the moment they took over. The Chicago Bears will place a huge emphasis on speed moving forward. They want a fast football team. Offensively and defensively. This philosophy has already shown up in several of their pre-draft meetings with wide receivers or running backs. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the same is happening on the defensive side. Kalon Barnes is the poster child for that.
With the draft almost at hand later this week, expectations are the Baylor Cornerback will either be a late round pick or undrafted free agent. The former became much more likely after the scouting combine, where he narrowly missed setting the event’s all-time 40-yard dash record with a 4.23. He is blazing fast, and it shows up all over his tape. Beating Barnes off the snap was one thing, but creating separation was never easy. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network revealed the Bears have seen enough to at least meet with him.
“When you’re the fastest player in the NFL Draft, NFL teams line up to meet for visits, private workouts, and virtual meetings. That led to a busy schedule for Baylor cornerback Kalon “Boogie” Barnes after running the 40-yard dash in 4.23 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The New Orleans Saints had a recent private workout for Barnes, who has had multiple virtual meetings, including the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers, and official visits with the Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks, according to league sources.”
4.29u ‼️@BUFootball CB Kalon Barnes was flying. @KaayBarnes_
????: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/sRFwkZzA4a
— NFL (@NFL) March 6, 2022
Watched @ShrineBowl CBs today, and it's clear why it was one of, if not the, most highly viewed positions by NFL scouts. @BUFootball's Kalon Barnes will be one of the fastest DBs at the #NFLCombine (likely 4.3s), and vertical/recovery speed was on display consistently. #Baylor pic.twitter.com/KzC0HYfe7i
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) February 17, 2022
Caleb Williams has all day to pass but forces the ball downfield into double coverage. Kalon Barnes gets the pick for the Bears to set up great field position.
OKLAHOMA 0
BAYLOR 0— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) November 13, 2021
The consensus on him is relatively straightforward.
Kalon Barnes is fast and athletic as hell. He has good fluidity in coverage and can make plays on the football. He also played his entire career in a zone defense, which explains why the Bears are interested. The problems lay in his technique and fundamentals. He’s been accused of lacking discipline and being a split-second too late reacting to receivers in their routes, leading to easy completions. It is felt this is because he trusts his natural ability too much.
While he had three interceptions in college, he should’ve had more. He was too willing to play soft coverage. If he can learn to play more aggressively and trust his instincts, his speed could be a lethal weapon. It comes down to whether a team thinks they can coach him up. Knowing Eberflus’ reputation, that is a challenge he wouldn’t fear.