Texas Nickelback Jahdae Barron Moves The Meter

Although Texas cornerback (nickelback) Jahdae Barron is not highly touted amongst the NFL Draft Community at this point, he did receive a first-round grade from The Athletic, and that was enough for me.

I respect that publication and knew when I saw that, I needed to do a full season evaluation on Barron. No doubt, one of the tougher evaluations that required attention to the smallest of details.

This evaluation centers around his 2023 game film, and based on that, it’s tough to project him to a starting cornerback role, because he lined up at nickelback covering slot receivers about 90% of the time.

HE IS ONE HECK OF A NICKELBACK.

I don’t mean he’s great at intercepting or breaking up passes, but he is great at providing pass and run support.

He’s one of the best at providing support I’ve ever seen.

Tackling machine

Barron craves tackling whoever has the ball and he’s pretty dependable as a tackler as his numbers prove:

2023:

• 60 tackles
• 5 tackles for loss
• 32 solo

It doesn’t matter if it’s a wide receiver or someone larger, like a running back, he flies in and asks questions later. He spent a lot of time down in the box (by the line of scrimmage where the offensive and defensive linemen play) and he didn’t flinch.

Wherever the action is, Barron is either in the action or he ends up by it.

IMPRESSIVE

Now let’s talk about Barron in coverage

He’s a bend, but not break cover guy providing he keeps receivers in front of him. I did not like him in coverage when receivers got behind him.

What do I mean by “bend and don’t break?” I mean receivers caught a lot of passes thrown in his direction. He has a nasty habit of reacting slow, and often ended up in position to make the tackle after the damage had been done.

2023 (Pro Football Focus):

• 74 targets
• 44 catches allowed (59.4% catch rate)

The good news is he allowed only two touchdowns during 2023. We need to put that into context. Most of the routes he covered were thrown in the short to intermediate route range (0-19 yards).

NFL crystal ball

Barron is a defensive back who will have a nice career if he and the team that drafts him understands his role. He will play a while in the league as a nickelback, but he likely not make it too long if he tries to become of the two starting corners on an NFL roster.

Nickleback is an important defensive role. Nickelbacks are matched up against team’s slot (inside) receiver and there are some darn good slot receivers in the NFL.

Having great tackling defensive backs is a real value to teams, especially those who are willing to get their jersey’s dirty taking on running backs like Barron loves to do.

Barron is aggressive by nature and he’ll fit right in on an aggressive defensive unit and scheme.

At the right valuation.

#23 Jahdae Barron 5-foot-11, 200 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: Third-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 5.4% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of November 28, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film evaluated: Rice, Alabama, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Houston, BYU, Kansas State, TCU, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Washington (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Spunky and active prospect with long arms and good straight line speed. Brings presence to a defense. Receivers dictate too much. Questionable technique vs. outside receivers. Lacks burst and recovery speed once he falls into trail position. Excels in off-man and zone coverage. Excellent understanding of coverage concepts. Attempts to keep the game in front of him or physically impede and reroute receivers coming uphill on him when he’s sitting in off-man. Decent agility. Good downhill close. Tough on screens. Can make open field tackles. Carries tight ends coverage up the seams. Tends not to look back on deep passes. Blitzed a lot with limited results. Banger against the run.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Starting at cornerback?

2. How does he look in deep coverage?

3. Burst or recovery speed shown?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.