http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1246159
NFL Draft Scout report
Overview
The most physically imposing receiver in the 2009 NFL Draft, Barden proved in postseason All-Star games and at the Combine that while he might not have played at the major college level, he is a major talent. His size, strength and long stride have scouts comparing him to former Denver Broncos standout Shannon Sharpe, present Bronco Brandon Marshall and San Diego's Vincent Jackson, all who proved that while they might tower over cornerbacks, they can also play in the short-area passing attack.
Barden broke numerous school and Great West Conference records. He joined David Ball of New Hampshire (58, 2003-06) and Jerry Rice of Mississippi Valley State (50, 1981-84) as the only players in NCAA Division I-AA/Football Championship Subdivision to catch 50 touchdown passes in a career. He had at least one touchdown in 32 games, breaking Rice's old NCAA record of 26 games with a scoring grab.
Barden put together a string of 20 consecutive games with a touchdown reception, again erasing one of Rice's records (Rice had a string of 17 games from 1983-84). He became just the eighth player in FCS annals to gain over 4,000 yards receiving in a career and his average of 20.4 yards per reception is the best by a receiver at this level since Dedric Ward of Northern Iowa produced a career average of 22.02 yards (1993-96).
At Flintridge Preparatory High School, Barden was a four-sport standout. On the gridiron, the receiver and free safety earned All-Prep League, All-CIF-Southern Section and all-area (Pasadena-Glendale) honors in addition to all-state accolades in the small schools division. He led the Rebels (12-1) to the CIF-Southern Section Division XIII title as a senior, when he caught 41 passes for 915 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Barden also played basketball, volleyball and track. On the hardwood, he averaged 17.2 points and eight rebounds a game. He was named all-league three times and All-CIF twice in basketball and named Cal-Hi Sports small schools Athlete of the Year. An Honor Roll member as a junior and senior, he participated in Peer Counseling, the Minority Student Union as a club director and was an Alliance Camp counselor.
Barden visited Penn and San Diego State before enrolling at Cal Poly. He redshirted in 2004, taking over "X" receiver duties the following season. He earned All-Great West Conference first-team honors, leading the team with 40 receptions for 655 yards (16.4 avg.) and nine touchdowns. He also excelled on special teams, making one solo tackle while using his 6:06 frame to block a pair of field goals.
Professional scouts started to notice what opposing defensive coordinators already knew -- Barden was a man among boys at this level of competition. He received All-America and All-Great West recognition as a sophomore, as he pulled down 42 passes, including 39 for first downs in 2006. That year, he generated 824 yards receiving (19.6 avg.), finding the end zone five times.
As a junior, Barden was a consensus All-America choice. He ranked second in the nation with 1,467 yards receiving, catching 57 passes that included 18 touchdowns. His average of 25.74 yards per catch was the highest mark by an FCS player since Mikhael Ricks of Stephen F. Austin averaged 28.89 yards per reception in 1997. He led the league and placed 11th in the nation in scoring, averaging 9.82 points per game while lining up at the "Z" receiver position.
Barden continued to generate considerable national attention as a senior. He was again named to virtually every All-America team, leading the league and ranking second nationally with an average of 114.27 yards per game receiving. He hauled in 67 passes, averaging 18.8 yards per clip, again coming up with 18 touchdowns, placing eighth in the country with an average of 9.82 points scored per game.
Analysis
Positives: Dominated FCS competition with his height and strong overall build. His long strides give him deceptive downfield speed. Takes advantage of soft coverage with receiver screens and short patterns, and has better foot quickness than expected for his size. Makes quick moves at the line to get off a jam. Able to snatch the ball with his hands, secure it and quickly turn to get additional yardage. A strong red-zone and jump-ball target due to his height, length and size. Uses his hands well while blocking on the outside, will be an asset in the run game.
Negatives: Lacks the straight-line speed to get separation from top corners, and must be more consistent using his length to create last-second separation as the ball arrives. Inconsistent hands on jump balls, where he always has the advantage. Played most of his games against a lower level of competition. Does not have the open-field quickness to evade NFL corners on the edge. Tackled easier than you'd expect because of his high pad level. Must use his size better to latch onto smaller corners when run blocking.
Scouting Report
GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 7.18
Body Structure: Barden has a cut lower body and very long limbs and massive hands. He has good muscle development, long, muscular arms, lean waist with a good bubble, tapered thighs and calves and a frame that can carry additional bulk to possibly move to tight end or H-Back at the next level, as despite his rare size, he does look lean standing 230 at 6:06.
Athletic Ability: Barden has outstanding athletic ability, starring not only in football, but also in track in college and in track, basketball and volleyball in high school. With his big frame, he does struggle to stay down in his pads and can be taken down by a physical defensive back due to his erect stance. He lacks speed to separate deep, but does eat up the cushion with his stride and deceptive quickness. He has a good kick to him getting into his patterns and is improving his stop-and-go action, but is still a work in progress there. He plays with adequate quickness for a receiver (much better for a tight end), but adds more to his game with his superb agility, flexibility, balance and ball-adjustment skills. He cannot be considered a burner, but is very physical and strong as a runner. GRADE: 7.0
Football Sense: Barden is a good learner who only needs normal reps and understands the game well. He has received academic honors and, while he has not played in a complicated offense, will have no problems digesting a playbook. He does a good job of adjusting to what the defense gives him on the run and knows how to time his leaps to high point a lot of his catches. He has the ability to make quick adjustments vs. the defense and consistently works back to the ball. GRADE: 6.9
Character: Barden comes from a supportive family and is a good program kid who is a team guy first. He is well-liked and respected, with no off-field issues. Even though he is the featured receiver in the small college ranks, he is rather humble with good stability. His father was a standout basketball player during NYU's powerhouse days in the 1960s. Ramses is also involved in several community and charity projects. GRADE: 7.4
Competitiveness: Barden has above-average aggression and toughness for the position. He is not the type of receiver who will just go through the motions when not involved in the action. In 2008 alone, he posted 59 knockdown blocks and loves to get physical as a blocker. He will not hesitate to fight for the ball in traffic and shows the strength needed to break tackles after the catch. One of his best traits is his ability to somehow come up with the ball with a slew of defenders draped over him in a crowd. GRADE: 7.2
Work Habits: Barden is the consummate team player, always deflecting attention to others. He works in every aspect of his game to become a complete player, knowing that he will never be a gazelle of a runner, so he tries to add other "tricks to the trade" to bring more to the table than just being a pass catcher. He is a very good worker in all areas of his game, exhibiting great practice habits. He is a very coachable team player who has steadily improved throughout his career. Dependability is one of his main traits. GRADE: 7.4
ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.33
Release: Barden has the functional strength to release and get into his routes, but lacks great straight-line speed. He uses his hands with force to get a strong push off the line of scrimmage. With his long arms and large hands, he has no problems avoiding the hold-up. With his big frame, he is not easily rerouted, but has to protect his legs better from low tackles. He knows how to use his body to gain advantage, but for a player his size, you would think that he would create better mismatches. GRADE: 6.5
Acceleration: Barden's hand quickness and ability to quickly uncover and extend for the ball make him virtually unstoppable vs. the smaller defenders in the short area. He is best served using his body to his advantage to box out the defender, as he does not have the foot speed to get behind his man on deep routes. While he has adequate deep speed, it is his body-adjustment skills and knack for tracking the high throws that allow him to excel on winning battles for the pass in a crowd. He is a long strider who gains ground more on power, as he lacks any sort of burst to separate in space. GRADE: 5.7
Quickness: Barden has just adequate speed, but compensates with his strength and length coming off the line and ability to gain advantage on the defender with his powerful stride. He has good quickness for a long body type, showing good hips, but he needs to become more elusive when trying to avoid (uses strength over speed). Still, he doesn't throttle down when not involved in the play, as he looks for other ways to help (as a blocker). GRADE: 5.9
Route Running: Due to his long upper body, he is not as sharp with cuts, and glides out of breaks more than he should. He needs work on defining his cuts better and tends to round his routes more than he should. He has deceptive speed and acceleration, but except for a few meetings vs. Wisconsin and San Diego State, he was challenged by inferior competition. He might be better served as an H-back or playing the tight end position. He is more of a power runner whose ability to drive through arm tackles is one of his better assets, but he runs too tall, leaving him open for low tackles. He shows adequate ability to separate on short routes, but needs a little polishing on out patterns. GRADE: 5.5
Separation Ability: Barden's only hope of separating is if he surprises a lethargic defender. He needs to be more explosive accelerating in and out of his break (rounds routes), and while he has the deceptive speed to run past cornerbacks at this level, he is not going to be able to have the same success in the pros. He is a big framed type that can move, but it is preferable seeing him on controlled routes than attempting to stretch the field. Still, his ability to push off a defender and uncover gives him an advantage, thanks to his size and strength. GRADE: 5.7
Ball Concentration: Barden is very confident that he can get to the throws in a crowd, but despite his size and leaping ability, there are way too many passes being deflected out of his hands. After all, how many 6:06 receivers have small defenders bat away 18 of 111 passes thrown to him? He does show good ball skills, turning short patterns and screens into big gains vs. soft coverage. He sees and feels out the defender and uses his body-adjustment skills to get to more off-target throws than expected. He also has a good knack to find the chains and work back to the ball. GRADE: 6.4
Ball Adjustment: Barden is not a stiff athlete, doing a good job of contorting his frame to make the tough catch in a crowd. When he extends for the ball, he does so with good body control and balance to pull it in, turn and run up field. He also is very smart, knowing when he needs to come back when the pocket is pressured. For a player his size, he needs to be more alert to leg tackles and he could be more assertive trying to run through tackles rather than trying to avoid. Since moving to the Z-receiver slot, he looked more natural trying to adjust to the ball and provided the QB with a big target who can go up and compete for the pass, but just needs to maintain consistency. His flexibility and ability to turn to off-target passes is because of his moves and above-average agility. GRADE: 6.6
Leaping Ability: When you are 6:06, you should get to every high pass, but he left several catchable balls behind because of inconsistent timing. He is explosive when trying to jump for the ball and he has very good arm extension, but one would figure with his track and basketball skills that he would hone his timing skills. He is a heavy load to defend, but even tougher to match up, when he uses proper timing to get to the ball at its high point. GRADE: 6.0
Hands: Barden has some of the biggest hands you will find on a receiver in this year's draft crop (10 5/8-inch measurement), which allows him to secure the ball well. He uses his body to shield the ball from the defender and while concentration lapses lead to a few drops, he is more of a natural hands catcher than one who uses his body to absorb the ball in. He is a big hands catcher, with his palms looking like mitts. He has very soft hands and, while the level of competition he faced was not top level, he rarely drops the ball. He is a natural receiver who can make the grabs away from the body's frame and also uses his hands with good force when blocking in-line. GRADE: 7.4
Run After the Catch: Barden gets good yardage with his foot work and balance, taking screens and slants without having to throttle down. He runs with good body lean, but when he gets too erect, he leaves his legs open for low tackles. He showed better cutting ability as a senior and if given soft coverage, he can turn and head upfield for big yardage. With his big frame, he will carry more than a few defenders for a couple of more yards and for a big player, he has decent hip wiggle, making him a strong runner carrying the rock. When he runs at a proper pad level, he compensates for adequate speed with his balance and strength running through defenders. GRADE: 7.1
Blocking Ability: Barden seems to enjoy this role, another reason he might be better suited bulking up to play tight end or H-Back. He works down the line with good urgency and is aggressive using his hands to sustain a lineman at the point of attack. He also shows good angle concept to cut block in the second level. He can dominate vs. secondary players and works hard to finish. He has the short-area quickness to mirror the defender and does a nice job of searching out the linebackers at the second level. He is very effective at shading and controlling the defender, taking a very physical attitude blocking for the ground game. GRADE: 6.8
Compares To: SHANNON SHARPE, ex-Denver -- Every time you see Barden with the ball in his hands, it reminds of a tall, skinny kid out of Savannah State. While scouts are concerned about the lack of competition he faced, you can't coach size and Barden has that in abundance. He is a willing blocker, a good trait to have if a team moves him to H-Back or tight end. He's not seen as a Brandon Marshall-type of big receiver because of adequate speed and he's better on slants, screens and controlled routes rather than threatening the deep secondary.
OVERALL GRADE: 6.47
With the different look and talent that Barden brings to the offense, I can see him becoming a bigger factor this year if he can show progress on a few of the things that held him back last year.
Not an ideal candidate for redraft leagues or shallow keeper league perhaps, but definitely a guy to be keeping an eye on in training camp this year.
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Excellent post SL. Too many things against him. Stud WR's in the making above him. Only really a shot at WR3 and that's a long shot. Needs to many ifs for him to really have much impact. Deep dynasties, go for it. I think I actually drafted him last year in HA1 but that crowded WR corps sorted itself well over the course of the season.
