Kenjon Barner comes from a long line of insanely-fast offensive weapons under Chip Kelly’s tutelage at Oregon. Despite being overshadowed by LaMichael James and De'Anthony Thomas the last few years, Barner was still able to put up impressive numbers as a senior last season and show off his speed and versatility. Inspite of his obvious talents, there are a number of concerns when it comes to Barner’s game that push him to the middle of this year’s running back crop; but he still has a lot to offer a team at the next level.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Ranking | Projection |
| 5'9" | 196 | Senior | 141 | Fourth-Fifth Round |
Strengths
Speed: Like most skill-position players coming out of Oregon, Barner is incredibly fast. When he bursts through to the second tier of the defense and kicks it down, very few defenders will be able to catch him. Don’t read too much into his unimpressive 4.52 second 40-yard dash time at the combine, that was just a fluke; Barner has elite game speed in full pads.
Dual Threat: In addition to being a talented speed back, Barner also makes an impact in the passing game. He’s a constant threat in the flat and uses his speed and elusiveness to gain massive yards after the catch.
Elusiveness: Barner combines a killer sidestep/juke move with a slick spin move to elude defenders regularly. He can quickly step to the side behind the line of scrimmage to make defensive lineman collide with blockers and uses his spin move in open space to keep secondary defenders from making contact.
Weaknesses
Balance: It’s a good thing that Barner is elusive, because he doesn’t stand a chance when contact is made. He runs very upright and is easily knocked off his feet. Barner is good for less than 20 rushing yards after contact in an entire season. This is the biggest knock on his game at this point and will honestly be a problem at the NFL level.
Impatience: Barner will often grow impatient far too quickly waiting for a hole to develop in the line of scrimmage, and constantly tries to bounce it to the outside instead. While he does better in open space, it will be extremely easy for NFL defenders to adjust and meet him at the line or shortly after.
Hands: Despite being a solid weapon in the passing game, Barner does not possess good hands. He constantly bobbles passes and uses his body far too often when catching passes. On short dump-off passes this isn’t too much of a problem, but will be on longer passes with some zing.
Bottom Line
Barner’s speed and elusiveness will make him a dangerous change-of-pace weapon in the NFL. But his small stature and list of issues mean he’ll never be a featured back at the next level. Barner will need to go to a team with a solid group of coaches that can work with him on better pad height and where he won’t be pressured to make much of an impact in 2013.