Broncos draft CB Jahdae Barron: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel

The Denver Broncos selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron with the No. 20 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Barron started all 16 games of his final college season and had career bests in interceptions (five) and passes defended (16), adding 67 tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery on the way to a consensus All-America selection and the Jim Thorpe Award.

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Also a first-team All-SEC selection, he tied for the conference lead in both interceptions and passes defended in 2024. Barron also posted a season-best and game-high 11 tackles in the Longhorns’ double-overtime win over Arizona State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and was selected the Peach Bowl defensive MVP.

In five seasons at Texas, Barron played in 57 games, starting 39, and had 227 tackles, 19 1/2 tackles for loss, two sacks, eight interceptions, 32 passes defended, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He had three career touchdowns, including a blocked punt return in 2020, and an interception return and fumble recovery and return in 2022.

‘The Beast’ breakdown

Barron ranked No. 30 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:

“Barron holds a master’s degree in coverage schemes and has done a great job developing the mental part of his game, giving himself a head start keying and diagnosing the quarterback and blocking scheme.

“Though he doesn’t have the movement burst for easy recoveries, he plays with supreme confidence and physicality without crossing the line, especially in zone coverage (two pass-interference penalties over his last 35 games in college). Overall, Barron doesn’t have the top-tier size that most teams prioritize at the position, but he trusts his instincts and competes with the toughness and ball skills to hold up versus pass or run. Some teams view him as a nickel-only prospect, while others see his value to play multiple positions across the secondary.”

Coaching intel

What an anonymous coach had to say about Barron in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:

“He’s got terrific ball skills and feel. I think his football IQ is really high. His ability to adjust and trigger is elite. His footwork is really clean. Excellent open-field tackler. I thought this guy was the best player on that team.”

Nick Baumgardner grades the pick

Potentially this year’s version of Cooper DeJean and/or Brian Branch, Barron was an elite playmaker in the secondary at Texas throughout his career, and he should be a real weapon in the slot (and maybe at safety) for the Broncos.

Denver could have gone a number of different ways here — Egbuka would have been a great fit, but he obviously went one pick ahead of No. 20. Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss and now Barron will give Denver a very sturdy secondary. Barron is an elite-character player and was a true leader in college. We’ll see how he holds up on the outside, but given the talent around him, he might not need to.

Grade: B-plus

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How he fits

The Broncos already have the best cornerback in the NFL in Surtain, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. Now, they have their highest-drafted prospect at the position since taking Surtain at No. 9 overall in 2021. The Broncos liked the progress of second-year player Moss opposite Surtain last season, but adding Barron gives the Broncos another top-notch weapon to combat the explosive offenses in the AFC West. Barron could play inside or outside. Moss has positional flexibility, too. The Broncos had a team-record 63 sacks in 2024, and bolstering the secondary should only help Denver’s stout defense take another step forward.

“I’m going to be a big piece,” Barron said on a teleconference shortly after the Broncos selected him. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to bring value.”

Depth-chart impact

Will Barron, the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s defensive back, overtake Ja’Quan McMillian in the nickel role? Will he play on the outside as Moss moves inside? Could he play safety at some point?

Those questions will be answered in due time. Barron said he had a feeling the Broncos could be a possible landing spot Thursday, in part because the team’s coaches expressed to him during a Zoom meeting in the predraft process how much they valued the versatility he displayed at Texas. Barron had 11 1/2 tackles for loss as a junior, a player who defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will no doubt find ways to use as a blitzer.

Barron, like Surtain did when he entered the league in 2021, could cross train at multiple spots during his first offseason. Regardless of how it plays out, the Broncos have added another talented piece to their secondary.

They also could have picked …

The Broncos could have selected running backs Omarion Hampton or TreVeyon Henderson. They could have added speed to their wide receiver corps with Matthew Golden, Barron’s teammate at Texas. The Broncos could have targeted LSU tight end Mason Taylor. All could have fit playmaking needs.

But a quote from Broncos coach Sean Payton from last week lingered after the pick of Barron: “Let’s not pass up a crystal just because we need a blender.”

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In other words, cornerback may have not been Denver’s most obvious need. But it happened to be the pathway Thursday night for the Broncos to add the best available player on the board, a player who should help them in their stated quest to chase down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Fast evaluation

Barron stated at least half a dozen times during a 5-minute call with reporters how eager he was to learn from Surtain II. He said he was still trying to soak in the fact that he was now teammates with the NFL’s best player at his position. If Barron can add anything from Surtain to his already impressive array of skills, he could help the Broncos, who already added safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency, one of the league’s top secondaries next season.

(Photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

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