As a high school football player, he played offensive tackle, defensive end and punter.

Also on that team was former Detroit Lions Defensive end Lawrence Pete (who went to South), Linebackers Mark (Seattle Seahawks/Indianapolis Colts) and Mike Bell (Kansas City Chiefs) (Both went to Bishop Carroll), Pro-Football Hall of fame running back Barry Sanders (North), and Tennessee Titans Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, who is (like Barker) a Northwest alumni.

He made the All-Southwest Conference that year and won the Jess Neely Linebacker Award.

After the NFL combine, the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders expressed interest in Barker.

[6] He signed a 1-year contract worth $110,000, the league minimum at the time, a common occurrence for late-round picks.

[7] As a rookie, he mainly played on special teams, but had two starts at outside linebacker against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks.

Barker was reunited with the coach that recruited him at Kansas, Bob Valesente, when the Green Bay Packers signed him before their 1994 training camp.