The Panthers add pass rush depth in the sixth round.
With the No. 189 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers have selected defensive end Amare Barno. Barno (6’5, 246) played college football at Virginia Tech. Barno started his college career as a linebacker, but moved to defensive end during his redshirt junior season and led the Hokies with 6.5 sacks. He recorded 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in 2021 before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Here’s a brief summary of his traits from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
High-ceiling, low-floor rush end prospect with traits galore but a somewhat passive field demeanor. Barno’s production fell off from his outstanding 2020 campaign. His 2021 tape showed little growth as a run defender or pass rusher and he seemed too willing to hold back rather than play with full-scale aggression when he had opportunities to make a hit. He’s long and explosive but easy to find for blockers. He needs to learn the fundamentals of positioning and hand usage before he is ready for next-level pass rush development. Barno has the necessary athletic tools but is more of a project at this stage with wide-9 or 3-4 outside linebacker value in the middle rounds.
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