Ted’s Talk: Predicting AJ Barner’s rookie season

The Seattle Seahawks were expected to utilize their new coaching staff’s college connections at some point during the NFL Draft. They made good on those expectations at pick No. 118 in the fourth round, selecting tight end AJ Barner from the University of Michigan. Barner – who played for new special teams coach Jay Harbaugh for the Wolverines – was primarily used as a blocking TE but could bring untapped potential in the passing game.

Athletic Profile/Comps

Relative Athletic Score (RAS)

Mockdraftable

Finally, a Seahawks draft pick that isn’t undersized! Well, except for starting the run on small hands…

Barner’s RAS is a little strange because outside of his height and 3-cone, nothing else is in the green. He also isn’t particularly fast with a 4.84 second 40. Yet, every composite category is “good” which results in a very good overall RAS.

Tyler Eifert is the best name on the RAS comp list but his score is quite a bit higher, so I don’t think that’s the best one to look at.

Mockdraftable only uses combine values and Barner did the testing at his pro day…making the Mockdraftable somewhat less instructive since they’re based off of less values.

However, the Mockdraftable comp with Drew Sample isn’t a bad one if we look at RAS.

Sample is stronger and faster, but Barner has a better 3-cone, vertical/broad jumps, and is taller. Sample is also similar to Barner in that he’s really only elite in one area (bench) yet is essentially “good” at everything to give him a high overall RAS.

Just for fun, let’s look at some of the more recent Seahawks tight ends and see how Barner stacks up.

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As you can see, Barner is actually more athletic than their past draft picks at around the same size. He was also taken in basically the same range as both Dissly and Parkinson were fellow fourth-round picks while Vannett was a third-rounder.

I still wasn’t really satisfied with these comps so I spent way more time than I’d like to admit flipping through my mental Rolodex of tight ends to try and find one that was closer, at least athletically. Finally, I found one with Anthony Fasano.

Again, it’s not perfect but at least gives us the level of athlete we’re looking at with Barner. Fasano played 12 years in the NFL and had 36 career TDs. He only eclipsed 350 receiving yards in a season 3 times, maxing out at 528 yards. Fasano was a reliable safety blanket, though, and I’d definitely take that for Barner’s career.

Gut reaction to the pick

As soon as I saw the pick, I thought “makes sense.”

Like Seattle’s other fourth-round pick, Tyrice Knight, some thought this was a round too early for Barner. There was a little run on TEs in the fourth round with Ja’Tavion Sanders (No. 101), Theo Johnson (No. 107), and Erick All (No. 115) getting drafted prior to Seattle making a pick – remember that they originally had pick No. 102 but traded down.

Maybe the Seahawks liked those other TEs as well and felt that they had to pick Barner to avoid a shelf at the position. As was the case with Knight, however, it may be that this was a player Seattle was targeting with other TEs available at the time that were higher on consensus boards such as Cade Stover and Jared Wiley who both went later in the fourth round. That’s a cluster of six total TEs drafted in the fourth round, if you’re counting…so maybe Seattle didn’t reach after all?

The Seahawks had an opening at the TE position after losing Will Dissly (Los Angeles Chargers) and Colby Parkinson (Los Angeles Rams) to free agency in the offseason and adding Pharaoh Brown on a one-year deal. Barner provides depth and will probably assume the blocking TE role that Dissly held by the 2025 season at the latest.

Barner’s calling card will be his ability to block, but that can also make him a sneaky addition to the pass game.

Plays like these could make him a QB’s best friend if the primary reads are covered. All in all, he’s likely the Dissly replacement on a rookie contract. That’s a fine use of a fourth-round pick.

Rookie season prediction

I’m not expecting Barner to have a significant role in the offense as a rookie unless Noah Fant or Pharaoh Brown are injured. Fant is the best pass-catching TE and Brown the best (for now) run-blocking option. Even UDFA Jack Westover – if he makes the team – is potentially a better option to catch passes.

Since Brown is only on a one-year contract, however, it will be important to get Barner meaningful snaps in run-heavy sets to groom him to take over that role next season. Barner was never a big producer in college with 610 yards and 5 TDs total in his 4-year college career. He’ll have few opportunities in his rookie season and will reel in 12 catches for 125 yards and 1 sneaky TD. More importantly, Barner will be a mainstay on special teams units and become a trusted part of Jay Harbaugh’s units.