In one of the night’s more unexpected picks, the Denver Broncos picked Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The move has already garnered consistent praise across the board.
Many expected the Broncos to draft a skill position player at pick 20, but Denver doubled down on secondary talent. This is pure skepticism, but perhaps Denver saw that Barron was still available and simply couldn’t resist a player of his caliber.
Denver’s defense was already elite last year and looks primed to be even more so in 2025. The Texas corner was a pillar of the Longhorns’ defense, is at the top of his position group, and a bona fide steal at pick 20.
Why Barron?
Barron was considered among the best corners in this draft, trailing just Travis Hunter, so drafting a player at the top of his position class at pick 20 is incredible value.
Barron was named the winner of the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award, as well as first-team All-SEC. PFF graded him as the highest-graded cornerback in college football last season at 91.1. Payton and Paton couldn’t believe that Barron was still available at pick 20, and couldn’t pass up a player of his caliber.
Most mocks, including us at The Lead, had him going in the top to middle of the first round. Opting to take a need later in the draft and not miss out on a blue-chip player makes total sense for the Broncos.
Divisional factors likely played a part in Barron landing in Denver, too. Pat Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs are still the standard. The Chargers still sport Justin Herbert, and the Raiders got a total facelift with the additions of Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty, and Brock Bowers.
The AFC West is crowded with offensive talent. Having a defense capable of nullifying them will be crucial for Denver’s success. Barron gives them that edge.
What does Barron do for Denver?
The addition of Barron makes everything Denver does easier.
The Broncos’ defense was already among the league’s best. They added LB Dre Greenlaw and S Talanoa Hufanga in free agency, which on its own would’ve made the Denver D as dominant as the league has to offer. Barron takes it to another level. He’s a ball-hawk who takes up incredible amounts of space, a playmaker in the open field, and is extremely versatile. He meshes with reigning DPOY Pat Surtain, Riley Moss, and Hufanga extremely well.
He adds much-needed depth at the position as well, as Denver struggled greatly when Moss dealt with an injury.
This ‘No Fly Zone 2.0’ Denver will unveil will also improve their offense. Bo Nix had an extremely successful rookie season, in large part because the offense didn’t need to be great for significant stretches. Nix could afford to make the rookie mistakes a young QB needs because their defense was that dominant. Defense was the crux of Denver’s success, which gave their offense and rookie QB the leeway to improve.
Their offense aims to be better and more consistent in 2025, but having a defense that looks as good as Denver’s is a massive luxury. This pick helps Nix as much as Vance Joseph.
In Summary
Jahdae Barron is a hyper-versatile corner who eats up space at all levels of the field.
He fits Denver’s secondary and scheme perfectly, and is as good a player as a team can get late in the first round. He has the reputation of a high-character leader and made an immediate impression on coach Sean Payton. Barron asked to be put on speakerphone to thank the Denver war room, something Sean Payton had never seen before.
Hollywood star and Texas Longhorn Professor Matthew McConaughey praised Barron and congratulated the Broncos on landing the young corner. If that’s not enough of a ringing endorsement, what is?
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