NFL Draft grades for Seattle Seahawks selecting Michigan TE AJ Barner in fourth round
Michigan Wolverines football tight end AJ Barner was the first U-M player off the board on the third day of the 2024 NFL Draft, heading to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 121 overall in the fourth round.
Barner played one season at Michigan after spending three at Indiana. With the Wolverines, Barner hauled in 22 receptions for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns with five multi-catch outings. Barner led the nation’s tight ends with an 82.2 overall PFF grade and 81.4 run-blocking rating (minimum 250 snaps).
Since Barner didn’t do as much in the passing game in his final season of college, some analysts were underwhelmed with the Seahawks taking him.
Here’s a look at how analysts graded the selection.
Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports: A-
“Sneaky well-rounded TE who wasn’t a major part of the passing offense at Michigan but flashed when featured,” Trapasso wrote. “Not fast but changes gears and is flexible, so has separation ability. Textbook, solid blocker with power and great hand-placement consistency. Some YAC ability too because of contact balance. I like this add.”
Walter Football: B
“The Seahawks lost a couple of tight ends this offseason, as two of them inexplicably signed gargantuan contracts elsewhere,” the site wrote. “Here’s a cheap replacement. AJ Barner makes sense as a fourth-round prospect as a solid Y-tight end prospect for the NFL.”
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Ayrton Ostly, USA Today: B
“Barner’s an ideal in-line tight end that gives the Seahawks another threat in the pass game who can hold his own in most blocking situations,” Ostly wrote. “He’s a bit small to be a Y tight end with some of the smallest hands in the class but has the athleticism to be a flex tight end early on.”
Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report: C+
“At 6’6″ and 251 pounds, Barner has the size to be a threat over the middle of the field,” Sobleski wrote.
“Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has strong ties to the Michigan program since he served as the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator during the 2021 campaign. Barner was [not] on the team at the time. Macdonald knows exactly what the tight end can bring to the Seahawks offense, which is an in-line option to pair with Noah Fant.”
Ian Valentino, The 33rd Team: B
“Taking a blocking tight end is never attractive,” Valentino wrote. “While he will eventually fill a role, Seattle could’ve added someone with any type of pass-catching potential.”
