After four-year career at Wyoming, Northwest standout eyes NFL draft

It was perhaps fitting that Caden Barnett’s final collegiate game was in his home state.

The Justin Northwest graduate was a late addition to the East-West Shrine Bowl after playing in the Hula Bowl. The game was held Jan. 27 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, days after an ice storm shut down most of the metroplex.

Barnett was the starting right guard for the West team, which won 21-17, in the 101st edition of the postseason all-star game.

“It was definitely more nerve-wracking than the Hula Bowl,” he said. “I was definitely nervous for the Hula Bowl too, but I just knew that this meant so much. I was itching to get this invite because I knew it was in Frisco, which is close to home … so much family coming to this game. So it was a big deal.”

During the week leading up to the game, Barnett caught the attention of media members who cover the NFL Draft. He will find out in April whether it was enough to catch the attention of NFL scouts and coaches.

If he does hear his name called in Pittsburgh, he will make a little bit of history for Northwest ISD and Northwest High School.

Shrine Bowl

When the West team got the ball early in the first quarter, Barnett trotted out there with teammates on the line from UCLA, Oklahoma, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Barnett, representing Wyoming, was one of the few players who were not from a Power 4 program.

“I want to show I can play at an elite level and I think I’ve been doing that,” said Barnett, who started at right guard. “I think it’s definitely raising my draft stock, which is exactly what I want to do. I’m just blessed to be here, and it’s so cool, with all the support from Wyoming.”

He started 34 games over the past three seasons, starting at guard and tackle during his tenure in Laramie. He redshirted in 2021 and then played 12 games in 2022, when the Cowboys lost in overtime to Ohio in the Arizona Bowl.

He moved into a starting role in 2023 and was part of a Cowboys team that won the Arizona Bowl that year.

Barnett was a second-team All-Mountain West pick in 2025, after recording 80 knockdowns for the Cowboys.

The West roster featured 77 players and 10 of those players were from a group of five schools or lower levels.

“I think it’s kind of shown me, one, that football is way better than people give it credit,” Barnett said. “And two, it’s shown me I can play at an elite level, which is just something I wanted to prove to others and prove to myself.”

Only one stop

During his time playing for the Cowboys, he saw action in 48 games.

Perhaps what made the career games more impressive was that he ended up at only one school in his collegiate career. In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, Barnett stayed in Laramie for five years.

“I think I’m just a loyal dude,” he said.

Not to say there wasn’t interest from the outside, but finishing what he started, and the relationships built, meant more to him.

Wyoming had 20 seniors this year, and Barnett said the group — which includes fellow DFW player Carson York from Prosper Rock Hill — collectively decided to stay.

“I love Wyoming and I love the culture,” he said. “It was so fruitful. What it did for me, I wouldn’t have changed my decision if I could have made it 100 times.”

The decision to stay during an era where that is not the norm impressed Northwest head football coach Bill Poe.

He’s been the Texans’ coach since 2014 and has seen the program go from 5A to 6A and coached current NFL player Cooper McDonald, who was on the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster this past season.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Caden in the fact that he absolutely loved Wyoming and made the most of every opportunity he received,” Poe said. “Believe that because of his loyalty to Wyoming, he was able to fully develop into what he is today, unlike most kids who are transferring wind up hindering their development. He’s a great example of doing the most with your opportunity and when you produce, the NFL scouts will find you.”

Coming out of Northwest High School, Barnett was a 3-star recruit on 247Sports, earning all-district honors twice.

Part of the Class of 2021, he was the No. 177-ranked offensive tackle in the country and No. 320-ranked recruit in Texas. He held offers from Wyoming, UTSA, Air Force, Colorado State, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico, UConn and San Diego State.

He landed with a Wyoming program then coached by Craig Bohl and later Jay Sawvel.

NFL on horizon

Wyoming will host a Pro Day on March 11 and the NFL Draft will be April 23-25.

During the Shrine Bowl, he was on a team led by Lunda Wells, a Dallas Cowboys assistant coach. He worked on an offensive line coached by assistant coaches from the New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders and the offensive coordinator was Sean Mannion, who was with Green Bay at the time but was recently hired as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator.

During the week leading up to the game, there were plenty of practices under the watchful eyes of the pro coaching staff and scouts.

“I felt a little bit of pressure going to these practices, but I performed better under pressure, so it went well,” he said.

In an interview with a Kansas City Chiefs blog, he called himself a “mauler” for how he handles foes on the line.

Barnett says he can play guard or tackle at the next level and is willing to do whatever is best. He did say that he loves being a guard when it comes to pulling on a run play.

Bleacher Report gives him a grade of 5.9, with a projection of a sixth-round draft pick and ranked 203rd overall.

SB Nation wrote about Barnett as one of five players to watch for the Chiefs to look at on Day 3 of the draft.

“I’m not the least bit surprised with Caden,” Poe said of Barnett’s upward trajectory. “His passion for the game is tremendous, and he always had the internal drive to be as physical as possible. He always craved it. We always preached playing through the whistle, and I’ve never had a kid who played as hard as he did on every play.

“I always felt like that he had the drive and mental fortitude to make it, he just needed to develop in a few technical aspects of offensive line play. It shows that he has done that. I’m so excited for him and look forward to seeing where he falls in the draft.”

If he does hear his name called, he will be the first Northwest player to be drafted. According to Pro Football Reference, there have been two pros from Justin: long snapper Jared Retkofsky, who played at TCU and signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh; and McDonald, a rookie free agent who made the Chiefs out of training camp.

Barnett played two years with McDonald, who started his collegiate career at San Diego State before going to TCU. According to Pro Football Reference, there have been 2,925 players from 836 schools in Texas. There have not been any listed from Trophy Club Byron Nelson or Haslet V.R. Eaton, the other schools in Northwest ISD.

“Cooper was a great competitor in high school, and it would be cool to do what he’s doing right now,” Barnett said. “I have dreamed since I was 5 to make it to the NFL. Then it turned into, I want to play varsity football. Then it turns into, I want to play at the collegiate level. And that turned into, I want to make it to the NFL. That has been the steps for that, so it’s kind of surreal, but I knew I could do it.”