2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Texas CB Jahdae Barron

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas CB Jahdae Barron.

No. 7 JAHDAE BARRON, CB, TEXAS (R-SENIOR) —  5110, 200 POUNDS

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Has good size and acceptable length for the position
— Has played all over the secondary, starting his career at safety before moving to corner in 2024
— Inside/outside versatile as a corner, playing some of his best snaps in the slot
— Possesses the speed to match up with receivers down the field
— Instincts take him to the ball as he can quickly process routes happening in front of him
— Quick to click and close down on underneath route concepts
— Does a good job playing through the receiver’s hands at the catch point
— Opportunistic in off coverage to jump routes and make plays
— Around the ball often in coverage, logging eight interceptions and 24 pass deflections in his career
— Physical tackler that will run through ball carriers in run support
— Capable gunner on special teams coverage units

THE BAD

— May lack that top-end speed to match up with speedsters consistently one-on-one
— Eyes can deceive him sometimes, causing him to be slow in his transitions
— Limited sample size at cornerback
— Doesn’t have elite size/strength to battle large wide receivers consistently above the rim
— May get pegged as a slot-only cornerback at the next level
— Isn’t the most fluid when it comes to flipping his hips when making his transitions
— Tackling can be erratic as he likes to dive at ball carriers’ feet attempting to uproot them

BIO

— Redshirt senior prospect from Austin, TX
— Born Dec. 4, 2001 (age 23)
— Physical Culture and Sports major
— Loves to go bowling in his free time
— Was an all-state and two-time all-district honoree in high school, four-star prospect
— Starred as a defensive back, wide receiver, and a punt returner in high school
— Also competed in track & field as a prep athlete, running the 100m dash in 10.95 seconds
— Originally committed to TCU and Baylor before choosing to go to Texas
— Played in five games as a true freshman in 2020, logging three total tackles and a pass breakup
— Played in nine games with two starts in 2021 and logged 18 tackles (12 solo), one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and three pass breakups
— Played in 13 games with nine starts in 2022 and totaled 78 tackles (43 solo), 11.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and three pass breakups
— Played in 14 games (all starts) in 2023 and registered 61 tackles (32 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one fumble recovery and a career-high six pass breakups
— Switched from playing the Star position at safety to more of a traditional cornerback role before the 2024 season
— Started all 16 games in 2024 and totaled 67 tackles (46 solo), three tackles for loss, one sack, five interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery
— 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner, 2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Defensive MVP, AP First-Team All-American (2024) First-Team All-SEC (2024), Second-Team All-Big 12 (2023) Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2022), Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2021)

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Jahdae Barron was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and after considering leaving town for college, the hometown kid decided to stick to his roots and suit up for the Longhorns. The decision to stay home proved to be a fruitful one for Barron as the defensive back went on to develop into a quality starter for Texas. He saw time at both safety and cornerback before producing a stellar 2024 campaign, which resulted in him winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football.

When you pop in the tape on Barron, you see an experienced, opportunistic defensive back who has started 38 games at safety, outside corner, and nickel during his time at Texas. In all of those positions, Barron has displayed physicality and aggressiveness as a tackler, willing to come up in run support and make plays on the ball like you see in the clip below of Barron working off the block on the screen pass to drill the pass catcher in the backfield for a loss on the play.

Barron also has experience playing close to the line of scrimmage as a nickel corner and box safety, making him a capable blitzer off the edge if he isn’t in coverage. Watch the clip below to see Barron start his blitz off the edge at the top of your screen before working back inside to sack the quarterback of Arkansas who attempts to evade pressure in the pocket.

However, Barron can come in a bit uncontrolled as a tackler at times and needs to do a better job of squaring up ball carriers and diving through them on contact, as he will dive at defender’s legs attempting to uproot them. You see that below in this clip against Ohio State where Barron comes downhill on the tight end on the drag route, dropping his head and failing to wrap up as the tight end stays upright as another defender flies in to finish the play.

In coverage, Barron is extremely instinctive when it comes to quickly clicking in his tracks to adjust to the route and closing downhill to impact the pass. Watch the clip below as Barron lines up in the slot and sees the slot receiver whipping back to the quarterback over the middle of the field, staying tight on his man and gets a hand in there to deflect the pass.

Here’s another example against Arkansas where Barron is matched up with a receiver at the top of your screen. He starts his drop back in a side shuffle but perfectly reads the play as the quarterback steps into his throw toward the sideline. Barron puts his foot into the ground and begins to drive on the pass before the receiver comes out of his break, knocking the pass away for the PBU.

When in off-coverage, Barron does a good job allowing his eyes to take him to the football to make a play and try to create a turnover. Watch this play against Arkansas where Barron comes off his guy as the ball is thrown up the seam, getting into perfect position to catch the overthrown pass that the intended receiver can’t corral and convert for the interception.

However, Barron isn’t the fleetest of foot when it comes with dealing with nuanced route runners that excel in making speedy transitions out of their breaks. Watch this rep against Ohio State in the red zone where Barron is giving the receiver an inside release and is unable to get in front of the intended target as he breaks inside for the easy touchdown. Luckily for Barron, the receiver drops the ball on what would have been a routine play by a pass catcher in the NFL.

Barron also brings quality special teams play to the equation as a proven gunner on kickoffs and punts. He does a good job showing urgency to get down the field and rally to the ball to make the tackle as you can see in this coverage tackle that he makes against Arkansas.

CONCLUSION

Jahdae Barron is an experienced, talented defensive back who has worn a lot of hats in college, showing that he can play multiple spots in the secondary. In the pros, his best fit is likely at slot corner where he can use his blend of aggressiveness as a tackler, along with his ball skills and instincts to make plays in coverage while also making an impact close to the line of scrimmage. Hopefully he continues to work on his tackling mechanics and doesn’t allow his eyes to get him into trouble when covering some of the shiftier receivers in football.

When coming up of a comp for Barron, Adoree’ Jackson came to mind as a versatile defensive back coming out of USC, winning the Jim Thorpe Award as well. Jackson has similar size and also played inside and outside during his time in the league, showing quickness to make plays in coverage while being a willing tackler in run support.

CB Donte Jackson is a free agent this offseason, and Pittsburgh could stand to improve their defensive backfield with more talent and playmakers. Rookie UDFA Beanie Bishop played well at times in 2024, but Barron would represent a higher-caliber addition who could also factor in on the outside as a potential running mate if Pittsburgh were to pursue him with one of their first two selections this coming April.

Projection: Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.4 — Future Quality Starter (Second Round)
Games Watched: at Arkansas (2024), vs. Ohio State (2024), vs. Mississippi State (2024)