SE: Barnes Ready to Go Through NFL Draft Experience, Prove Himself Again
Apr 23, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Good running backs surprise defenders, whether it's with agility they did not expect or more power than they anticipated.
Alex Barnes is used to surprising.
Not many expected the Pittsburg product to produce like he did as a redshirt freshman at K-State, when he averaged 7.89 yards a carry and was the only Big 12 player (min. 50 rushes) without a negative rush.
Barnes expected it. Probably more, to be honest.
The former K-State back surprised a national audience at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine in March, when he broke the bench press record for running backs and ranked in the top five for his position in the three-cone shuttle, short shuttle, broad jump and vertical jump.
Barnes knew it was coming.
"None of it was a surprise," he said.
Neither will it be if and when his name is called at this week's NFL Draft, which runs Thursday (1st round), Friday (2nd and 3rd) and Saturday (4th-7th). Barnes knows he's an NFL running back, just like he knew he was ready to make an impact as an unknown redshirt freshman.
"I'm really good at blocking out negative energy or people who feel like they have their assessments of me, whenever I have my own," he said. "My own is more accurate, obviously, because I know myself better than anyone else could, so I know what I need to work on, what I need to improve on. Every offseason, every time I train, I work on improving those things that I need to improve on. I know that better than other people do. I can form my own analyses about myself better than anybody ever could."
This goes back as far as middle school.
Barnes said he remembers every day after football, baseball, basketball or track practice, depending on the season, he and his stepbrother walked about a mile to the local YMCA. There, the pair worked out with some local MMA fighters, or just by themselves, for about 90 minutes.
"That's really how we got our foundation in strength and lifting," he said. "I always knew that would help me on the field, if I was stronger and faster than everyone else."
It certainly left an impression on the hundreds of scouts, general managers and team executives who watched him at the combine. Barnes' draft stock rose significantly afterward. Since then, he said he's met with three teams in person, including the Kansas City Chiefs, and spoke to handfuls of team representatives over the phone.
He said the theme, in terms of positive feedback, has been his versatility as a running back.
"They like my patience and my power, mixed with my size and speed. They think I have a good combination of everything," he said. "As far as workouts that I've had, coaches are really impressed with how well I catch the ball. That's not something we did (at K-State) a whole lot but that's something I've proven I have in my arsenal."
More than anything, Barnes said his time at K-State strengthened his maturity. He plans to bring the daily approach he brought to the Vanier Family Football Complex with him wherever he ends up in the NFL.
"I know how to take care of business," he said, "and I'll be able to carry that on as a professional, that kind of energy toward the next level, knowing how to work at my craft without letting outside distractions get in the way."
Which is why he did not seek out a ton of advice from former teammates who had been through this pre-NFL Draft process before. He did not want to hear stories of being projected in one round and falling to another.
"Everyone's experience is unique," he said. "It's going to be my story. I'm just ready to go through it and experience it."
Plus, for Barnes, the NFL Draft is not the end goal. He wants to make a roster and earn carries this fall. This week will just determine where he has to start surprising people next.
"The draft itself is not going to be the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is moving through that tunnel and it's working toward my next step and my next goals in the future. The draft will open many doors for that," he said. "Knowing where I'm going to end up is going to be a big relief, and knowing that I'll have somewhere to stay, a facility to use, but it's just the next step."
Good running backs surprise defenders, whether it's with agility they did not expect or more power than they anticipated.
Alex Barnes is used to surprising.
Not many expected the Pittsburg product to produce like he did as a redshirt freshman at K-State, when he averaged 7.89 yards a carry and was the only Big 12 player (min. 50 rushes) without a negative rush.
Barnes expected it. Probably more, to be honest.
The former K-State back surprised a national audience at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine in March, when he broke the bench press record for running backs and ranked in the top five for his position in the three-cone shuttle, short shuttle, broad jump and vertical jump.
Barnes knew it was coming.
"None of it was a surprise," he said.
Neither will it be if and when his name is called at this week's NFL Draft, which runs Thursday (1st round), Friday (2nd and 3rd) and Saturday (4th-7th). Barnes knows he's an NFL running back, just like he knew he was ready to make an impact as an unknown redshirt freshman.
"I'm really good at blocking out negative energy or people who feel like they have their assessments of me, whenever I have my own," he said. "My own is more accurate, obviously, because I know myself better than anyone else could, so I know what I need to work on, what I need to improve on. Every offseason, every time I train, I work on improving those things that I need to improve on. I know that better than other people do. I can form my own analyses about myself better than anybody ever could."
This goes back as far as middle school.
Barnes said he remembers every day after football, baseball, basketball or track practice, depending on the season, he and his stepbrother walked about a mile to the local YMCA. There, the pair worked out with some local MMA fighters, or just by themselves, for about 90 minutes.
"That's really how we got our foundation in strength and lifting," he said. "I always knew that would help me on the field, if I was stronger and faster than everyone else."
It certainly left an impression on the hundreds of scouts, general managers and team executives who watched him at the combine. Barnes' draft stock rose significantly afterward. Since then, he said he's met with three teams in person, including the Kansas City Chiefs, and spoke to handfuls of team representatives over the phone.
He said the theme, in terms of positive feedback, has been his versatility as a running back.
"They like my patience and my power, mixed with my size and speed. They think I have a good combination of everything," he said. "As far as workouts that I've had, coaches are really impressed with how well I catch the ball. That's not something we did (at K-State) a whole lot but that's something I've proven I have in my arsenal."
More than anything, Barnes said his time at K-State strengthened his maturity. He plans to bring the daily approach he brought to the Vanier Family Football Complex with him wherever he ends up in the NFL.
"I know how to take care of business," he said, "and I'll be able to carry that on as a professional, that kind of energy toward the next level, knowing how to work at my craft without letting outside distractions get in the way."
Which is why he did not seek out a ton of advice from former teammates who had been through this pre-NFL Draft process before. He did not want to hear stories of being projected in one round and falling to another.
"Everyone's experience is unique," he said. "It's going to be my story. I'm just ready to go through it and experience it."
Plus, for Barnes, the NFL Draft is not the end goal. He wants to make a roster and earn carries this fall. This week will just determine where he has to start surprising people next.
"The draft itself is not going to be the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is moving through that tunnel and it's working toward my next step and my next goals in the future. The draft will open many doors for that," he said. "Knowing where I'm going to end up is going to be a big relief, and knowing that I'll have somewhere to stay, a facility to use, but it's just the next step."
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