GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – Rookie Nick Barnett has been making people notice ever since Mike Sherman made him the first linebacker taken in the NFL draft.

To the surprise of many, the Green Bay coach and general manager chose the Oregon State star with the 29th pick. That was five spots ahead

of Georgia’s Boss Bailey,

who went to Detroit, and 11 spots before Maryland’s E.J. Henderson was selected by Minnesota.

At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Barnett is hardly an intimidating presence, but he’s proved to be a natural at middle linebacker, a position he never played before arriving in Green Bay.

A leading contender for defensive rookie of the year, Barnett is one of few bright spots on a defense ranked 30th in the NFL. In the season’s first half, he had a team-best 81 tackles to go with two interceptions and two sacks.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress said No. 56 was all over the field as he watched film last week in preparation for Monday night’s showdown at Lambeau Field: “He’s not a liability on run defense, he can run and cover. He’s a nice athlete in there.”

Barnett, the league’s rookie of the month for October, isn’t only playing a new position, but he’s making the defensive play calls when Na’il Diggs leaves the field on passing downs.

As one of two linebackers in the nickel defense (five defensive backs) and the lone linebacker in the dime (six defensive backs), Barnett has played more than 99 percent of the snaps (532 of 540) on defense, plus more than 70 snaps on special teams.

“I didn’t expect it, but I didn’t expect anything different,” Barnett said of his workload. “I want to be on the field any way that I can. I just like to be out there.

“I don’t think it’s a lot of responsibilities for a rookie. I think I can handle it. I have high expectations for myself.”

And Sherman loves Barnett’s passion, power and pep.

“He doesn’t act like a rookie,” Sherman said. “He’s a different cat.”

After suffering through a season with the aging Hardy Nickerson in the middle, the Packers wanted a linebacker with a turbocharged motor and sideline-to-sideline skills. So they went for the fastest one out there in the draft.

Counting five exhibitions, Barnett has already played as many games as he did in a college season, yet he’s not worried about fatigue.

“I don’t really believe in that whole rookie wall hoopla,” he said. “I think that’s just an excuse. And, really, I think I conditioned myself in the offseason to go 25 games if I needed to.”

There is one way the Packers are treating their rising star as the rookie he is: They’re careful not to compliment him too much lest he get a big head.

Sherman said Barnett’s quick learning curve is extraordinary.

and “I think he’s going to be a heck of a football player someday. He’s not there yet, but he’s working toward that.”

Barnett affirms he’s a work in progress.

“I still feel I’m not playing even close to where I could be playing,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I could be doing a lot better.”

He said he should have more tackles, more sacks and more interceptions than he does.

“It’s a very good start. But I could be so much better.”