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PlayerJahdae Barron · CB, Denver Broncos, Model Score 69.0Be the Broncos GM

Jahdae Barron

Denver Broncos
Pos CB
Updated October 8, 2026
Compare Jahdae Barron CB rankings →

Model Score

69.0 MODEL
Resting on limited playing time

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Rookie tier 8 (#66) for a 20th overall pick with the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award plus Bednarik Award double is below the year-one median for top-20 CB prospects on Pro Bowl trajectories. The Texas Big 12 elite college awards establish the highest CB pedigree of his class. The 2026 question is whether Barron crosses into tier 4-5 territory in his year-two jump or whether the structural rookie tier 8 finish flags real developmental concern.

Barron came out of Texas as the Denver Broncos' 1st-round pick (20th overall) in 2025 after winning the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back plus the 2024 Bednarik Award. The Broncos installed him alongside Patrick Surtain II as the long-term CB pair. His rookie 2025 finish at tier 8 (#66) reflects the year-one developmental band for late-1st CB prospects.

Strengths

  • 2024 Jim Thorpe Award plus 2024 Bednarik Award plus the 20th overall draft slot establishes the highest college CB pedigree of his class.
  • Year-one starter snaps alongside Patrick Surtain II at age 22 gives him the developmental runway and the Vance Joseph scheme structure.

Concerns

  • Rookie tier 8 (#66) is below the year-one median for top-20 CB picks on Pro Bowl trajectories given the elite college pedigree.
  • Denver's broader defensive identity around Surtain's primary anchor priority compresses Barron's structural snap share.

What to watch: Whether Barron crosses into tier 4 (top 30) in 2026, the standard year-two threshold for top-20 CB picks on Pro Bowl trajectories.

Comps

Coming out
pros whose college production, size and testing looked like his
Kris Boyd54%Jaire Alexander52%Steven Nelson51%

Jahdae Barron Injury StatusNot listed

Jahdae Barron is not on the injury report as of Oct 7. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.

Draft & College

Round 1, pick 20 · Denver Broncos · 2025
Texas (SEC)
Taken
#20
where he actually went
Consensus board
15th
average of the public big boards that spring
Our college model
#3
among CB in our college data

He went about where consensus had him.

In college · 2021-2024 · 50 games
8 INT, 20 pass breakups, 207 tackles, 18 TFL

Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.

Coming out
8.62
RAS
4.39s
40 yd
35"
Vertical
123"
Broad
What this pick usually becomes

Of the 220 players taken as a late first-rounder between 2012 and 2021, 70% earned a second contract and 72% became starters. The median one started 58 career games.

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