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In Derek Barnett, the Eagles got a football player, not a prospect | David Murphy

Derek Barnett is only 20, but his record at Tennessee provides evidence - and not just hope - that he can succeed as an Eagles defensive end.

Click here for more coverage of the 2017 NFL draft in Philadelphia. Our live blog recaps Day 1 and will have updates from the event starting Friday at noon.

Douglas used the word "finish" multiple times when discussing Barnett on Thursday. He was talking at the granular level of a scout - one of Barnett's greatest assets is his ability to maintain his speed and power as he closes on a quarterback after gaining a dominant position on a blocker - but the term could have fit a more abstract context as well. Our minds are susceptible to a recency bias, and given the amount of time a personnel staff can spend with a ground-level view of a player between the end of the college season and the start of the draft, it's only human that things like pro-day drills and combine workouts and in-person visits start to challenge three years of game action for preeminence. The schedule also allows for plenty of overthinking - idle minds and all - which can lead to a destructive micro-analysis that relegates to an afterthought the ends that a player has shown he can actually produce.