Landon Barnes

Physical Profile

Barnes carries an ideal modern edge frame — listed between 6-3.5 and 6-4 with length and a build that has climbed from ~235 to 245 without sacrificing bend. His calling card is arc-running athleticism and flexibility: he can flatten the top of the rush and corner around the tackle's outside shoulder, traits that translate directly to a stand-up/wide-9 alignment. The frame still has clear room to add functional mass and lower-body anchor strength, which is the gap between his current 'win in space' profile and a true every-down hand-in-the-dirt end.

Play Style

Barnes is a disruptive, get-up-the-field edge who plays best from a two-point stance in space, attacking inferior athletes with first-step burst and a flexible, low-pad arc to the quarterback. On film he's an effort player who finishes — the QBH and TFL totals show he generates constant pressure even when he doesn't get home — and he flashes the instincts to time snaps and locate the ball versus the run. His game is currently more athlete-and-motor than technician, but the natural traits to bend, dip and corner are the hardest things to teach at the position.

Strengths

• Elite bend and ankle/hip flexibility — the arc-running ability cited by 247's Gabe Brooks lets him win the edge as a speed rusher and reduce the corner without losing momentum
• Instinctive, productive pass rusher — 10.5 sacks, 23.5 TFL and 25 QB hurries as a senior at a 6A power isn't projection, it's bankable disruption against quality Texas competition
• High-effort, chase-down motor versus the run — fights through single blocks and pursues, the kind of relentlessness that earns early special-teams and rotational snaps

Areas to Improve

• Point-of-attack strength and anchor — he can get washed out by size at the LOS; he needs NFL-level hand strength and lower-body power to set a hard edge against SEC tackles and tight ends in the run game
• Pass-rush plan and counters — production at the prep level leaned heavily on first-step quickness and the speed rush; he must develop a true secondary move (inside counter, long-arm/bull) to keep winning when the arc gets taken away

College Projection

Expect a redshirt-or-rotational true freshman role in 2026 — early reports out of Ole Miss spring camp already have him 'turning heads,' suggesting the athletic traits play up fast. Realistic timeline: special teams and designated pass-rush snaps Year 1, pushing for a starting two-point edge role by Year 2 once he adds anchor strength. His ceiling is a multi-year SEC starter and double-digit-sack rusher in an attacking front.

NFL Outlook

Legitimate Day 2-3 draft trajectory if development hits. The length, bend and motor are the foundational traits NFL teams covet in sub-package edge rushers, and 247 explicitly projects him as an eventual draft pick. His draft ceiling is tied directly to mass and POA strength gains — get there and he's a designated rusher who earns down-by-down trust; stall on the anchor and he's a situational speed-rush specialist.

Best Fit

An attacking, multiple front that lets him rush from a two-point stance in wide alignment — a 3-4/multiple defense or an over-front that deploys a stand-up Jack/Buck edge. Ole Miss's aggressive, pressure-heavy scheme is a clean fit: it weaponizes his speed-to-power-in-progress traits in space rather than asking him to two-gap and anchor as a base 4-3 strongside end before his body is ready.