Packers Film Review: Texas defensive end Barryn Sorrell

Today we take an in-depth look at Packers rookie defensive end Barryn Sorrell.

The Green Bay Packers made a strategic move in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft by selecting Texas defensive end Barryn Sorrell, a dynamic and versatile pass rusher with the potential to become a key contributor in Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme.

Measuring in at 6’3” and 256 pounds, Sorrell brings an intriguing blend of athleticism, scheme versatility, and untapped potential to a Packers defense looking to bolster its pass rush and run stopping capabilities.

This pick represents excellent value for Green Bay, as Sorrell was projected by many analysts as a Day 2 talent who slipped into the fourth round due to some inconsistencies in his game. However, his explosiveness, motor, and ability to play in multiple fronts make him a perfect developmental piece for the Packers’ defensive line.

Background and Physical Profile

Barryn Sorrell was a three year starter at Texas, where he developed into one of the most disruptive edge defenders in the Big 12. Over his collegiate career, he accumulated 18.5 sacks, 29.5 tackles for loss, and 4 forced fumbles, showcasing his ability to be a gamechanger in critical moments.

Combine and Athletic Testing

Sorrell’s athletic testing numbers at the NFL Combine solidified his status as a high upside prospect:

His stats are decent too.

Strengths: What Makes Sorrell an Exciting Prospect

Pass Rushing Ability

Sorrell doesn’t have an explosive movement out of his stance so he relies on his ability to disrupt the backfield with a variety of pass rush moves. He can work in a variety of swipe/rip moves, has the ability to knock blockers off balance with his contact, and is aggressive punching to get around the edge.

In a 2024 midseason game against Arkansas, Sorrell consistently beat the left tackle off the snap. On a 2nd-and-1 in the first quarter, he bull-rushed the tackle head up and disrupted the throw enough that the timing was off, forcing an errant throw that resulted in an interception.

Here versus Clemson in the College Football Playoff first round, Sorrell shows off a nice two-hand swipe and rip combo to beat the left tackle around the edge. The swipe gets the tackle to react, takes him off balance, and allows Sorrell to dip his inside arm under the flailing reach to rip underneath and beat the blocker.

He registered 49 pressures last season according to Pro Football Focus and had eight in one game versus Vanderbilt. In addition to swipe/rip moves, he’s able to win inside by knocking the blocker off balance and shedding to get penetration up the middle.

On his pass rush rep here, he shoots inside to rush the B-gap, knocks the inside arm of the blocker up and takes him off balance with this attack. He flushed the quarterback out of the pocket as a result.

This is a good rep that shows that as a 3-4 defensive end in most of Texas’s scheme, he primarily rushed against tackles where he had to learn to use a variety of moves and apply them to a given situation and know when to use them. As the B-gap defender, he reads the run action and has to read and react quickly, swiping away the blocker’s arms rather than using a power move.

High motor and high effort

One of the biggest attributes from scouting analysts listed about Sorrell is that he has a never-quit attitude and plays with high effort and a high motor.

Nowhere is that embodied more than on this 4th quarter sack in a close game versus Arkansas. Sorrell ends up being blocked by the tight end, then double-teamed with the running back, before the right tackle peels off and assists his blockers. The triple team doesn’t play to the whistle, though, and doesn’t know the quarterback still has the ball. Sorrell has his eyes on the play as the blockers give up, and he ends up chasing down the quarterback for a 5-yard loss.

Weaknesses: Areas Needing Improvement

While Sorrell has elite physical tools and has no problem dealing with tight ends in the run game, he must refine certain aspects of his game to become a consistent NFL starter.

Inconsistent Run Defense

Sorrell’s aggressiveness can work against him in the run game. He sometimes loses contain by overpursuing or failing to set a strong edge. As a result, he had a career high 11 missed tackles last season, and four of them came versus Georgia in the playoffs.

In the clips below, the missed tackles didn’t totally cripple the defense. A couple of them were still tackles for losses on the play, but not by Sorrell. Sorrell missed the tackles because he came in too high and tried to wrap up the ball carrier by the shoulders. The other two missed tackles were nearly the same: both no gain or loss, but both showed Sorrell with high pad level and almost zero leverage.

On the final play of overtime, the last clip in the cut-up, Sorrell had a chance to make the stop inside the five on what would eventually become the winning score for Georgia. He missed again with high leverage.

While he can deal with tight ends one-on-one, he was inconsistent taking on double-team blocks, often getting pushed one or two gaps over by any combination of offensive linemen or lineman and a tight then.

Here, the right tackle/tight end combination easily displaces him from the edge, offering little resistance. In the second clip against Florida, he gives up the edge because the only way he can fight off the block is to try to speed run around the tackle into the backfield when he needed to hold his ground at the line of scrimmage.

And at times, he will struggle to get off blocks.

Lack of pass rush countermoves

While Sorrell wins with athleticism and burst, he lacks a developed countermove arsenal.

These clips from the 2023 College Football Playoff game against Washington All-American offensive tackles Roger Rosengarten and Troy Fautanu, Sorrell was neutralized when his initial speed rush was stopped.

Versatility and Scheme Fit

One of Sorrell’s most appealing traits is his ability to line up in multiple positions:

• Wide 9-tech: Used as a pure speed rusher. Sorrell played 281 snaps at the “REO” and “LEO” defensive end positions outside of the tackle, according to PFF. In obvious third-down passing situations, Hafley will align the ends outside of the tackles to be pure pass rushers in a wide-5 or wide-9 technique.

• 5-tech (3-4 DE): Can hold up against the run while still generating pressure. On early downs, it was not uncommon to see Sorrell kicked outside as the 5-tech defensive end in a 3-4 or 3-3-5 defense. For the Packers on base downs, this gives Hafley another stout run defender who can hold an edge and fight through tight end blocks.

• Stand-up 3-4 OLB: What is less known is his ability to be an outside linebacker in coverage, which he can certainly be used as. But he only had 29 coverage snaps last year at the position. While not a traditional 3-4 linebacker alignment, he is in a stand-up outside alignment and does drop into coverage here.

• 3/4i-tech (DT on passing downs): Sorrell can slide inside and use quickness against guards. He played 72 snaps at the more traditional 3-tech defensive tackle spot.

Final Thoughts

Barryn Sorrell is a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect who could become a steal for the Packers. While he needs to improve his run defense and develop counter moves, his athleticism, versatility, and work ethic give him a strong foundation.

Under Jeff Hafley’s guidance, Sorrell has the potential to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber edge rusher. If he maximizes his talent, the Packers may have found a long term starter in the fourth round—a testament to their draft acumen and player development system.

The Packers’ defense just got more explosive, and Sorrell could be a key piece in their quest for another Super Bowl.