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NFL Combine: Anthony Barr's bench press low, but believes he could be No. 1 overall pick

The raw linebacker has been mocked to the Cardinals

Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

At the NFL Combine, UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr did not show off his strength that well, but he did show a lot of confidence and self-awareness.

The former running back converted to a linebacker bench pressed on 15 reps -- the lowest number among his position group, but said it was "very realistic" that he could number one overall in this year's draft.

Barr has been mocked to the Arizona Cardinals a few times, with the expectation that perhaps his stock would slide with his Combine workouts. The strength issue might be the first of those drills that do that.

He knows what he still has to work on.

"Shedding blocks, defending the run, using my hands. I think those things are still new to me, things I'm still working on," Barr said Saturday. "If I continue to work on it, I think I'll be able to perfect those.

"Like I said, I'm far from a finished product."

Another player that he reminds me of in some ways, because of the background is Terrell Suggs. He was a much more polished player coming out of Arizona State, having set the NCAA record for sacks in a season, but he was Arizona's top running back coming out of high school. We all know about how Suggs' career has gone and how the Cardinals passed up on him in the draft.

Could Barr land in Arizona? It seems almost a pipe dream.

Barr is certain whoever lands him will be happy.

"It's still new to me," Barr said. "If a team gets me, if they like what they see they're going to love what they get, because I'm just going to continue to get better."

Is this a guy you want on the Arizona defense, learning from a guy like John Abraham? It couldn't hurt.