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Eagles top pick Derek Barnett can't - and doesn't want to - avoid connections with Hall of Famer Reggie White

The two both played at Tennessee, and now Barnett wants to play like White did for the Eagles.

Derek Barnett entered the auditorium at the Eagles practice facility on Friday and stood in the shadow of a mural of Eagles icon Reggie White. At Tennessee, Barnett played his college games in Neyland Stadium with a picture of White on the scoreboard for all to see.

Barnett and White will forever be linked after Barnett broke White's sack record at Tennessee in his final game for the Volunteers. Playing in the Music City Bowl in Barnett's hometown and where White's widow resides, Barnett recorded his 33rd sack to eclipse White's record that lasted 33 years.

"Reggie White in Knoxville, he's a legend," Barnett said. "He's all over the place in the state of Tennessee."

White shares similar prestige in Philadelphia, where no player will ever wear No. 92 again. Barnett's new number is 96. Barnett called it ironic on Thursday that he followed White to Philadelphia three decades later, and "crazy how everything plays out." He also called White "the greatest person to ever play the game."

It's also a tough shadow to enter. Barnett broke White's record at Tennessee, but White is an unfair standard for the 20-year old entering the NFL. Eagles executive Joe Douglas tried to make sure the two wouldn't be compared when asked on Thursday night if there's anything about Barnett that reminds him of White.

"I didn't scout Reggie White, so I shouldn't comment on that," Douglas said. "But you're talking about a legend, so . . . "

To Barnett's credit, he studied his history. He knew all about White, even studying White's technique in college.

"I watched tape of him at Tennessee because I was trying to put the hump move in my game," Barnett said. "But as a pass rusher, I feel like everybody has their own moves, and I think that move is for him. It's probably not for me."

Barnett also studied current NFL players, including Seattle's Michael Bennett. He likes Bennett's demeanor and hand usage. When Barnett was younger, Giants Hall of Famer Michael Strahan was a player he emulated.

But among pass rushers, White is always the standard. And after Barnett broke White's sack record, he heard from White's widow, Sara White. He expects to visit with her when he returns to Nashville and added that "it meant a lot" that Sara White reached out.

"She gave me a phone call about a week after the bowl game, after I broke the record, and she was just congratulating me on everything I've accomplished," Barnett said. "Even though I broke the record, I told her Reggie is still Reggie. I don't think I'm better than Reggie. I told her thanks a lot, and I really appreciate it."

Barnett wrote a cover letter to general managers for the Players' Tribune earlier this week in which he acknowledged that he's known as the player who broke White's record, but he doesn't want to be remembered as a record-breaker. He wants to remembered for winning a Super Bowl.

With time, Eagles fans can only hope that comes. But he'll still be linked to White, and he'll see the mural of White whenever he comes to work.

"I don't feel [any] pressure," Barnett said. "I take it as a compliment."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm www.philly.com/eaglesblog