Kalon

Barnes

Barnes’ (5'11"/183) calling card is blazing speed. A high school track star, Barnes burned up the Combine with a 4.23 40, the second-fastest time in the history of the event. Unfortunately, he doesn’t offer much beyond the wheels. Barnes plays very loose, getting beat initially off the snap, too often relying on his quickness to recover. His tackling needs work, as he doesn’t go for the mid-section to wrap up. The athletic ability is there, but it takes more to make it in the NFL. Barnes will likely have to begin his big-league career on practice squads.

If you are keeping score at home, that is just .01 shy of John Ross’ Combine record. Hugely impressive, though NFL Network draft guru Lance Zierlein had Barnes graded as a Day 3 flier before his blazing 40. This has probably assured Barnes of getting drafted, but he still does not profile as a difference-making talent at the highest level.

Barnes just missed tying former 2017 first round draft pick John Ross’ 4.22 record in what has been a crazy week for 40-yard dash times. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projects Barnes as a potential practice squad player, but his 40-time is the best of any player to pass through the combine this season.

At this time of his run, Barnes’ (5'11/183) had the fastest 40-time of the day for any cornerback. Barnes is the 241st ranked player on PFF.com’s 2022 NFL Draft Big Board and posted 23 tackles and one interception in his final year at Baylor. Some elite speed could move him up some team’s big boards ahead of the draft.

Barnes (6'0/186) was an integral part of the secondary for a historic Baylor team, posting 23 tackles with 5 pass deflections and an interception as the Bears finished with a 12-2 overall record. That was Baylor’s first 12-win season in program history. According to PFF, Barnes allowed just 21 catches on over 300 snaps -- that’s the lowest of all Big 12 cornerbacks with 300 or more snaps.

Neither Barnes (6'0/186) or Morgan have played since Week 11 against Oklahoma, but both appear ready for this game as they were spotted warming up on the field. Head coach Dave Aranda suggested earlier in the week that Barnes should be good to go, as the Bears look to get back a key player in their pass defense. Per Pro Football Focus, Barnes has allowed 15 receptions on 30 targets for 303 yards on the season. He has allowed two touchdowns while intercepting one pass and breaking up two.

Barnes (6'0/186) seems like he’s in a good position to be active for the Big 12 title game as the Bears prepare to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Baylor head coach Dave Aranda noted Monday he was making progress after missing the regular-season finale against Texas Tech. “It looks good for Kalon. It’s still going to be a day-by-day process but it looks like the prognosis is good,” Aranda said. Barnes, though he has battled injury for a lot of the year, has 19 total tackles (17 solo) this season. Barnes also had an interception against Oklahoma.

Barnes (6'0/186) was forced to miss the team’s last contest against with a leg issue and there’s no sure decision made yet on whether or not he’ll be back in time for the West Virginia game. So far this season, Barnes totals five tackles (four solo) with one pass breakup.

Waco Tribune-Herald Sports Writer Jon Werner notes that the freshman has been in some competitive battles with his fellow wideouts. Barnes is one of the fastest freshman in the country, breaking the high school record with a 100 meter dash time of 10.05 seconds this spring. The Bears will want to find ways to get the speedy player on the field, and defense might offer the fastest -- no pun intended -- way for that to happen.

That time beats the national record of 10.15, which was held by numerous athletes before being broken by Barnes. Obviously, the 5-foot-11, 172-pound athlete has blazing speed, and he’s also shown the ability to make people miss with his quickness and ability to shift. Baylor likely will give Barnes a look in special teams, and they could find a way to get the four-star signing the football this fall in other ways.