Jahdae Barron's draft fall ended up leading him to 'perfect fit' with Broncos
Jahdae Barron's draft fall ended up leading him to 'perfect fit' with Broncos
Going into the 2025 NFL draft last week, Draft Wire's Jeff Risdon had Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron ranked as the eighth-best player on his big board of the top 250 prospects in this year's class.
So it was a surprise when Barron fell to pick No. 20, and the Denver Broncos couldn't pass up such a talented prospect that low in the first round.
Pro Football Focus graded Barron (90.7) as the No. 1 cornerback in college football last season, and although he fell much further than expected, Barron believes he landed with the perfect NFL team.
"It's a perfect fit," Barorn said. "It was perfect. It was God's timing. I did get a little bit worried and a little bit anxious, but I tried to tell myself to just be committed to the process, don't be attached to the results. I did a lot of things up to this point to have this result, and I just have to be thankful, to give all the glory to God."
Barron's RAS score (8.63) ranked 378 out of 2,761 cornerbacks measured from 1987 to 2025. NFL Next Gen Stats dubbed him the second-best value (89) in the first round, only trailing PSU tight end Tyler Warren (92). Depsite those impressive advanced stats, Barron still fell.
Barron's faith helped him get through the emotions of picks 1-19.
"I had a chapel that started at six o'clock today, an hour before the draft," the cornerback said last Thursday. "My pastor, Pastor Rocky, spoke and he said, 'Just have faith.' He says to be a lion, 'Be a lion, and you were a lion the whole year.' I fought and I battled. Then when you battle and you do everything, you give it all to God. You give the rest to God, and you give all your worries."
The cornerback lands in Denver after ranking first among Power 4 defensive backs in yards per reception allowed (7.7), passing touchdowns to interceptions allowed (0-5), passer rating allowed (34.2) and first downs allowed (11) last fall. He represented an incredible steal for the Broncos, and he believes it happened just the way it was meant to.
"My mom asked me around pick 17, she said, 'Are you OK?' I said, 'Yes, I'm fine. I'm good.' I gave all my worries to Jesus Christ, and it was always perfect, on his timing. I couldn't have written it any better.'
Barron's perfectly written story doesn't end here as he's now set to make his pro debut with Denver this fall. It remains to be seen if he'll end up playing primarily on the outside or on the inside at cornerback, but Barron's versatility will ensure that he will have a key role in the secondary as a rookie.
Barron's draft fall was unexpected, but it ended up being a huge win for the Broncos. In the end, playing in a secondary with Pat Surtain, Riley Moss, Brandon Jones, Talanoa Hufanga and Ja'Quan McMillian, it could end up being a huge win for Barron as well. He'll make an already stacked defense even better in 2025 and beyond.
Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
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