AJ Barner, TE Michigan: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Barner was a three-star recruit from Aurora High School in Aurora, Mo. in the class of 2020

Michigan’s AJ Barner is quietly one of the better tight end prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was primarily a blocking tight end for the Wolverines and could serve as a TE2 in the NFL for a long time.

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AJ Barner, TE Michigan: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior tight end from Aurora, Ohio

Background: Barner was a three-star recruit from Aurora High School in Aurora, Mo. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 1,147 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,172 for On3.com. Barner was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Ohio before flipping to Indiana. Barner transferred from Indiana to Michigan for the 2023 season. He was a two-way contributor who played tight end and linebacker in high school. He wrapped up his senior season with 15 receptions for 123 yards and four touchdowns and 124 tackles, earning OPSWA First Team All-Ohio Division III honors on defense. Barner was the Northeast Ohio Division III Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Conference and All-Area Team selection. He played in the Ohio North-South All-Star Game. Barner was born on May 3, 2002.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2022 Maryland and Michigan games with a foot injury

Awards: 2022 Team Captain, 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units, impressive arm length, excellent size and build, speed is respectable, finds space between the defense’s second and third levels, ball tracking and ball skills shine on contested catches, size and catch radius to Moss DBs, spin move, impactful chips before sliding out on a route, motor runs hot blocking, good use of leverage and body positioning, head on a swivel as a blocker, stays low coming out of his stance, frames blocks well, powerful leg drive, generates movement on down blocks, overpowers defensive backs, drives slot defenders and box safeties to the sideline on screens, secures the edge for off-tackle runs, great value pulling in a gap scheme, effective sealing run lanes on gap plays, high upside combo blocker, technique in pass pro trending upward

Cons: Always a low-volume pass catcher, likely just an NFL rotational player, not a sudden or twitchy athlete, lacks burst off the line, limited release package, limited route tree, routes are rounded with limited dip and suddenness, routes are stalled or derailed by contact, generates limited separation against man coverage, DBs can sit on him from off-man and then crowd his stem, blocking power profile failed at times vs. Penn State (2023), feet occasionally come too close together as a run blocker, pulled off balance when base thins, moments when defenders beat him across his face, needs to refit hands quicker, must learn to counter long-arm moves, hand counters are underdeveloped, sometimes caught leaning on defenders, a few lunging blocks, footwork can be adjusted in pass pro to sustain blocks longer

Overview: Barner has a little over 550 special teams snaps split between the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units. On offense, he has experience lining up in the slot, in-line, and even out wide. Indiana gave him a one-on-one rep split out wide in the red zone against Ohio State cornerback Cameron Brown (2022), and Barner reached over the defensive back to haul in the pass for a touchdown. He has excellent size and a terrific build with long arms that expand his catch radius to make plays like that touchdown against Ohio State possible. The Indiana transfer has respectable speed to get downfield and find space between the defense’s second and third levels. His ball tracking and ball skills help him overcome limited separation to make contested catches. Barner was always a low-volume pass catcher in college, but he came up with some massive splash plays as a run blocker against Penn State (2023) and had outstanding games as a blocker against Washington (2023) and Rutgers (2023). He lands impactful chip blocks before sliding out on routes. Barner really makes his money as a blocker. His motor runs hot as he gets after defenders. The senior’s use of leverage and body positioning is advanced for a blocking tight end. He keeps his head on a swivel and showcases good awareness. Barner stays low coming out of his stance and frames blocks well with the leg drive to overpower defensive backs or move linebackers. He drives slot defenders and box safeties to the sideline on screens and off-tackle runs. The Ohio native can secure the edge or generate movement on down blocks. He offers value pulling on gap runs because of how well he seals run lanes. Barner also performs well on combo blocks. He is far from polished in pass protection but is trending in the right direction. Barner still needs to adjust his footwork to sustain blocks for longer in pass protection. In the run game, he doesn’t always have the power to hold up against defensive fronts. These issues occasionally showed up against Penn State (2023). The former three-star recruit’s feet sometimes come too close together and ruin his base when he’s blocking. Those moments make it easy to pull Barner off balance. Explosive defenders occasionally beat him across his face. When battling with defenders, Barner needs to refit his hands quicker. He also needs to learn to counter long-arm moves. Barner gets caught leaning on defenders and sometimes lunges into blocks. He isn’t a sudden or twitchy athlete with the ball in his hands. Barner lacks burst off the line and only has a limited release package. His route tree needs to continue developing. Barner’s routes are rounded with limited suddenness or dip in his hips. He generates limited separation against man coverage, which leads to him living on contested catches. Defensive backs sit on Barner in off-man coverage before quickly crowding him at the top of his route. They don’t fear him threatening them vertically.

Overall, Barner is a high-level blocking tight end who is still developing in that area, and he has enough athleticism to be a viable receiving option when paired with more dominant pass catchers. Barner won’t be a top 100 pick, but he has the build and skill set to be a multi-contract NFL player.

Role & Scheme Fit: Rotational in-line Y tight end with developmental upside

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Early Fifth

Size: 6'6", 251 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 01-14-24