VikesCentric: Anthony Barr--the Vikings' other number 1

It is become increasingly difficult to find positives in the Minnesota Vikings performances of late. Four double-digit losses can overshadow any positive vibe. But Anthony Barr is quietly putting together a decent rookie season, and people are beginning to take notice.

"He's doing well," head coach Mike Zimmer told the Star Tribune. "He's progressing, I think, as we expected him to. He's a good kid. He's still learning so much about the position that he's playing right now, and I like him because he's not only a good athlete – he's physical and fast and powerful, But he's also very conscientious and wants to be very good at his job."

You won't hear chants of "Anthony! Anthony!" before he takes the field at TCF Bank Stadium—like you have for the Vikings' other first round draft selection. But the ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft, quiet and unassuming as he is, is making quite an impact on the Vikings' defensive side of the ball.

"I've coached linebackers a long time in this league, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards told the Star Tribune. "He has as much potential to [become a very good NFL linebacker as any], especially coming out here with the production that he's had as a rookie.

"He's ahead of the curve and with his professionalism, to be able to have that at such a young age, pay attention to details, being able to do it on the practice field, do it in the game. It's just a matter of him continuing to get experience and keep working and keep getting the production that he has."

Barr has started at outside linebacker since day one and rarely left the field. He is the team's second-leading tackler (tied with Jasper Brinkley at 27) and is third in sacks (2.0).

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Barr's overall rating has been on the positive side in five of the Vikings' six games this season, with rushing the passer and stopping the run as his strengths and pass coverage his relative weakness.

"It's his third year of playing linebacker; I'm really impressed with the production and the things that he's able to accomplish at the position," Edwards said. "He gets the most out of his ability every day. He pays attention to detail. He can pick up things that we are trying to get accomplished. He's a good match in coverage; he's a good pass rusher. To wear as many hats as he does as a rookie, from that aspect of it, yeah, I'm pretty impressed with him."

So, Barr is a precocious rookie, but where does he rank compared to others in his position. With an overall 3.1 average ranking by PFF, Barr ranks 11^th (of 32) among NFL outside linebackers in a 4-3 defense. His strong suit (statistically) is covering the run with a 2.4 cumulative rating and rushing the passer with a 1.4 rating. He has struggled a bit in pass coverage with -1.3 cumulative rating.

If we lump him in with all outside linebackers (meaning those playing in a 3-4 defense), there are 19 more linebackers with a better overall rating than his 3.1--putting him at 30^th among 78 linebackers. Not bad for a rookie relatively new to the position.

But Barr wasn't the only rookie linebacker taken in the first round of the draft. Oakland selected Khalil Mack ahead of him at No. 5, Pittsburgh took Ryan Shazier 15th and the Ravens picked C.J. Mosley at No. 17. Mack plays in a 3-4 defense and Shazier and Mosley are inside linebackers, so the comparisons aren't apples to apples. But some of their names have been mentioned in defensive rookie of the year conversations, so it is worth looking where they stack up.

Mack, who was a sure-fire player coming into the draft, is killing it this season according to PFF. His overall rating of 14.3 puts him in fourth place for 3-4 outside linebackers and fifth place for all outside linebackers.

While Barr still lags behind Mack and Mosley, it will be interesting to see where he comes in after a couple full seasons under his belt in the position. He could close the gap quickly.

For my money, it's fun to watch Barr flying all over the field making plays—whether they are sacks in the opponents' backfield or chasing down a receiver in coverage to prevent a 3^rd-down conversion—like he did against the Lions.

In a short time, the Vikings have come to rely on the rookie heavily. And that will be the same going forward. Greenway returned to practice this week, and that will help the defense, but it likely won't slow the ascent of Barr as a defensive leader of the future.

"I think he'll continue to progress more and more and we'll continue to find more things for him to do," Zimmer said. "At some point in time, I expect him to be one of the better linebackers in this league. I don't know when that will be, but I expect it to be sometime."

For a team searching for bright spots and silver linings, Barr is definitely one. Zimmer (like Vikings fans) has high expectations for the team and is admittedly impatient, and the growth of the Vikings will take some time. But for those who want to see results right now, they should keep an eye on Barr each game day. He's playing well right now and shows plenty of promise for even more in the future.