Former Georgia Tech defensive tackle T.J. Barnes wasn’t the fastest defensive lineman at the NFL draft combine Monday, but he wasn’t the slowest, either, which is a fairly remarkable accomplishment.
Hauling 369 pounds down the runway, Barnes ran the 40-yard dash in an unofficial 5.22 seconds, ahead of three other linemen, including former Georgia tackle Kwame Geathers. Barnes’ agent said that Barnes had been running the 40 in 5.1 seconds in training and was hoping to run 5.2 or faster.
He finished ahead of players weighing 306, 335, 302, 342 (Geathers) and a 241 pounds. Improbably, the 241-pounder was Connecticut end Trevardo Williams, who finished second in the 100-meter dash in his classification in Connecticut in high school.
While Barnes’ weight was almost 30 pounds more than what he weighed in the preseason, his time gives some indication of his athletic ability, which should help his draft stock.
Barnes also completed 25 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, which was 22nd out of 37 among defensive linemen who participated.
Barnes' other testing results had yet to be posted on nfl.com. Former Tech cornerback Rod Sweeting will be tested Tuesday.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
