There aren't enough synonyms left in the thesaurus to describe UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr.
He is explosive, fast, physical and disruptive, as Barr demonstrated at Utah on Thursday night. He delivered three tackles for loss with two sacks in the 34-27 win in front of a gaggle of NFL observers, NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt noted.
Barr now has 23 tackles, eight tackles for loss -- including three sacks -- three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in four games this season. Since moving to defense last season, the 6-foot-4, 248-pound senior now has a sack in 12 of 18 career games.
There's not much more to say about Barr, who seems destined to be a top-10 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, barring some unforeseen development between now and May. The only tests left are how Barr fares against the Oregon up-tempo spread offense and Stanford's bruising approach, with rising sophomore Andrus Peat at left tackle.
The real revelation on Thursday night was Myles Jack, the true freshman manning the outside linebacker position opposite Barr. Jack had six tackles, two pass breakups and one interception on the final Utah possession to salt the game away.
At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Jack isn't anywhere near the unreal athletic specimen that Barr is, but Jack has great range and is already comfortable in pass coverage. Jack's six pass breakups lead the team, and no other Bruin defender has more than two. Jack could be the three-down linebacker NFL teams will need to defend wide-open offenses.
As NFL teams continue to monitor the sensational Barr, Jack is going to draw notice as well, a name to be tucked away for future reference.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
