Draft Profile: Bio

A former four-star recruit out of Knoxville Catholic, Baron's collegiate journey has been anything but linear. After four solid years at Tennessee where he steadily improved his production, Baron made pitstops at both Louisville and Miami in 2024, ultimately landing with the Hurricanes where he showcased his most complete season to date. His final campaign resulted in 38 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks while earning All-ACC Honorable Mention honors. The son of former NFL player Patrick Lenoir, Baron's bloodlines and physical tools have been evident since his prep days where he dominated the Nashville prep scene before transferring to Knoxville Catholic for his senior year.

Baron's winding path through the college ranks speaks to a player who's been searching for the right fit, but his on-field production has remained consistent at every stop. At Tennessee, he developed into one of the SEC's more disruptive edge defenders, posting 100 tackles, 26.0 TFLs and 12.5 sacks across four seasons. His transfer to Miami proved fruitful, as he hit the ground running with 4.5 sacks in his first three games. Though the sack numbers tailed off, his pressure rate remained elite with a mid-season stretch of 23 pressures over four games.

What's particularly intriguing about Baron's development is how he's transformed from a raw athlete into a technician off the edge. His film study and dedication to crafting a diverse pass rush arsenal has shown up consistently, especially in his final two seasons where his pressure rates exceeded positional expectations by a significant margin. At Miami, he proved he could produce against elite competition while shouldering a heavy snap count, playing over 75% of defensive snaps in multiple games.