Purdue beat writer: Derrick Barnes could have a long NFL career

Our Detroit Lions draft review series is nearing its conclusion. We recorded our penultimate episode on Wednesday night, detailing the Lions’ fifth pick in the draft: Purdue linebacker Derrick Barnes. We know the Lions like Barnes a lot—they traded up in the draft to get him—but what exactly can we expect out of the linebacker both in the immediate and in the future.

To help give us a better perspective, we chatted with Purdue beat writer Mike Carmin about the past four years of Barnes’ college career. Carmin talked about Barnes’ best and worst games, his persona off the field, his leadership qualities, and why he thinks Barnes could have a long NFL career.

“I see an easing into it for him,” Carmin said of Barnes’ early role in the NFL. “And I do think if he can do that and get in the right system, the right setup, I think he can stick around for a long time and be a productive player in the NFL.”

You can listen to our entire conversation with Carmin below.

You can also watch the extended version of our interview on both Twitch and YouTube.

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