Kevin Barnes ( American football ) Kevin Barnes ( born September 15 , 1986 ) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent . He played college football at the University of Maryland . He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft . He has also played for the Detroit Lions . Early years . Barnes was born in Fayetteville , North Carolina , on September 15 , 1986 , and raised in Dunn , North Carolina , but later moved to Glen Burnie , Maryland . Where he was raised by parents Kenneth and Debra Hilliard . He attended Old Mill High School , where he played football as a cornerback and wide receiver . Barnes also played basketball and competed in track and field . As a junior in 2002 , he recorded ten reception s for 222 yards and four touchdown s . That year , he was named an Associated Press Big School second - team all - state , " Baltimore Sun " honorable mention All - Met , and all - county player . As a senior in 2003 , Barnes recorded 62 tackle s , including 32 solo , three interception s , and three broken - up passes . That year , he was named an Associated Press Big School all - state , " Baltimore Sun " All - Met , and " Washington Post " honorable mention All - Met . Barnes was named a SuperPrep Mid - Atlantic all - region and PrepStar all - region player . He was not highly recruited , however , and was rated a two - star prospect by Scout . com . Duke and Virginia recruited him before he committed early to Maryland . College career . Barnes redshirt ed in 2004 and was named the defensive scout team player of the week prior to the NC State and Virginia Tech games . In 2005 , he saw action in ten games , mostly on special teams . He recorded four solo tackles and a pass broken up . In 2006 , Barnes played in all 13 games including one start , the first of his career , against . That season , he compiled 11 tackles , which included nine solo . In 2007 , he was the first on the team in interceptions with four , second in passes broken up with nine , and fifth in tackles with 65 , including 47 solo . He recorded the most interceptions by a Maryland player since Domonique Foxworth in 2002 . After the 2007 season , the Terrapins lost three starters in the secondary to graduation , and Barnes stepped in to assume a leadership role during his senior year . As a fifth - year senior in 2008 , Barnes played in the first seven games before suffering a shoulder injury . He recorded two interceptions returned for 27 yards , 20 tackles including 15 solo , five passes broken up , seven passes defended , two forced fumble s , and one blocked kick . In the third game of the season , against California , Barnes gained notoriety for the delivery of a hard hit against running back Jahvid Best , an early Heisman Trophy prospect . Late in the second quarter , Cal quarterback Kevin Riley recognized Maryland was in man - to - man coverage . Since he saw there were no safeties in the middle of the field , he threw a short screen pass to Best . Barnes , who had anticipated the play from the snap , immediately delivered a bone - jarring tackle that almost knocked off Best ' s helmet . While still laying on the field , Best rolled onto his side to vomit . Footage of the hit and its aftermath circulated widely on the internet and became a viral video phenomenon that received 50 , 000 views on YouTube within a week . After the game , Best said , " That ' s probably the hardest hit I ' ve ever taken in my life . . . It really knocked the wind out of me , and I had a little trouble breathing for the rest of the game . " When asked if he felt bad about the tackle , Barnes said , " He ' s not permanently hurt , so I ' m fine with that . Had he died or something , I ' d have felt bad , but he ' ll probably be playing next week . " In the seventh game of the season , he used his left shoulder to hit Wake Forest wide receiver D . J . Boldin , who was attempting to catch a pass . Barnes suffered a torn glenoid labrum , fractured left scapula , damaged rotator cuff , and broken clavicle . The injury ended his season , and he missed the final six games of his senior year . Barnes later remarked , " It was my last hit . . . Even though I got hurt , it caused a guy to fumble . I ' ve got to look at it that way . I still have [ a ] smile on my face . " Despite being unable to play , Barnes remained actively involved with the Terrapins for the rest of the season and took on the role of a student coach . Secondary coach Kevin Lempa said : " He ' s another coach out there right now . . . He ' s been such an important player for our defense for a long time , and he still wants to help as much as he can . All throughout the game in the pouring rain against NC State , he was talking to the guys on the sideline , so he ' s like another coach . . . We all miss having him on the field , but we ' re glad he ' s still with us in some capacity . " Barnes received an unusually early invitation to the 2009 Senior Bowl , on September 18 , just five days after the game against California in which he tackled Best . He attended , but due to his shoulder injury , could not participate in the game . Professional career . Washington Redskins . 2009 season . In the 2009 NFL Draft , Barnes was selected by the Washington Redskins in the third round as the 80th overall pick . He had participated in the 2009 NFL Combine , where he impressed scouts by scoring highly among cornerbacks in the speed and agility tests . Barnes also scored the highest grade at the combine on the Wonderlic intelligence test with a 41 out of 50 , which far exceeded the average prospect ' s grade of 19 . He ran the 40 - yard dash in 4 . 52 seconds , which was 0 . 06 seconds slower than the fastest time record by a cornerback . His vertical jump of 38 . 5 inches was the sixth - best recorded by a cornerback . Maryland coaches reportedly told Redskins head coach Jim Zorn that Barnes was " maybe the only guy in that league who could run with [ wide receiver Darrius ] Heyward - Bey , " who recorded the fastest 40 - yard dash time at the combine and was selected seventh overall in the draft . Zorn also said , " [ We were impressed ] when we watched him on video , when we interviewed him and talked to people who knew him . " Referring to his height and speed , he described Barnes as a leaner version of Carlos Rogers . Unlike some other NFL teams , the Redskins were not concerned about Barnes ' injury , and Zorn said his shoulder " was repaired . . . He ' s not going to have a problem at all . " His mother is an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys , the Redskins ' biggest rivals . Barnes himself said , " The first team I liked was the Cowboys , so how ironic that I would go to the Redskins , but I love to be a Redskin . " After summer minicamp , the Redskins signed Barnes to a four - year contract with a $ 782 , 000 signing bonus . Regarding his offseason performance , the club ' s executive vice president , Vinny Cerrato , said , " It was like a light came on , so Kevin was just playing instead of thinking all the time . . . He had four interceptions and was really breaking on the ball . " Barnes was expected to compete with Justin Tryon for the fourth cornerback position on the depth chart . 2010 season . In camp before the 2010 season , Barnes and veteran cornerback Phillip Buchanon out - performed Tryon , who was eventually traded to the Indianapolis Colts . At the start of the season , with Zorn replaced by Mike Shanahan as head coach , Barnes and linebacker Brian Orakpo were the only players retained from the 2009 draft class . In the second half against the New York Giants , Barnes replaced Buchanon , whom coach Shanahan said " wasn ' t playing good enough in the first half . " Barnes recorded three tackles and defended one pass in the game , which was his most extensive playing time to that point . Against the Jacksonville Jaguars , Barnes started as a safety alongside Macho Harris because of injuries suffered by LaRon Landry , Kareem Moore , and Reed Doughty . In that game , Barnes intercepted a pass from David Garrard in overtime , which set up the game - winning field goal , 20 – 17 . Prior to the 2011 season , Barnes was named as an Honorable Mention player on ESPN ' s list of the top 25 breakout players of the 2011 season . Multiple depth charts list Barnes as the starting nickelback and immediate back - up to DeAngelo Hall . Coaches have praised Barnes for his hard work ethic and knowledge of the game . Kevin Barnes intercepted a pass thrown by Tony Romo on Monday Night Football in a Redskins loss ( 18 – 16 ) against the Dallas Cowboys . 2011 season . After Carlos Rogers left the team , Barnes switched from his original jersey number of 25 to 22 . In the 2011 season , he would serve as the team ' s nickel cornerback . He would have his first interception of the season and second of his career in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys . Barnes would catch another interception in Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins after nose tackle , Barry Cofield , hit Matt Moore ' s arm while throwing a pass . He finished the season with 26 combined tackles , four pass breakups , and two interceptions . 2012 season . Despite being used as a nickelback last season , it was reported that Barnes has been taking snaps at both the free safety and outside cornerback positions in the 2012 off - season under new defensive backs coach , Raheem Morris . With DeAngelo Hall taking over the nickelback position , he competed with and lost to the Redskins ' free agent acquisition , Cedric Griffin , for the second outside cornerback slot opposite to starter , Josh Wilson . Detroit Lions . On August 27 , 2012 , Barnes was traded to the Detroit Lions for an undisclosed draft pick . He was waived on September 18 . Cleveland Browns . On March 25 , 2013 , Barnes signed a one - year contract with the Cleveland Browns . He was released on May 13 , 2013 .