Kirk Herbstreit Praises NFL Versatility of 'Turnkey' Texas Longhorns DB Jahdae Barron

Former Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron has inked his name as one of the top Texas picks in the 2025 NFL Draft in wake of an impressive showing at the NFL Combine this weekend.

The Jim Thorpe Award winner ran a stunning 4.39-second in the 40-yard dash to rank him the sixth-fastest cornerback at the event.

His speed not only caught the attention of the league and mock draft writers across the nation, but also ESPN College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit. The college football analyst spoke on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday and predicted Barron to take the reigns in the defensive backfield for the NFL this year.

"I think it's Jahdae Barron. That would be my guy," Herbstreit said when asked who his top corner pick would be. "I covered this guy a lot, probably called 11 or 12 of his games. When you play the slot, it's not just, okay, he's on the inside, [but] he's on run support, he's blitzing, he's playing space, he's playing man [coverage]. The versatility is off the charts with him."

.@KirkHerbstreit says Jahdae Barron has the potential to be a “turnkey” player at the next level ✍️

“The versatility is off the charts with him.” (Via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/Uuu6968iUr
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) March 4, 2025

Throughout his five seasons with the Longhorns, Barron was able to take on a variety of defensive roles, both inside and outside the line of scrimmage. He recently played at corner in his final season at Texas and led the SEC with five interceptions, three of them against conference champion Georgia, 67 total tackles, 11 pass break-ups, and one sack.

In addition to standing out on the field, Barron made himself one of the program's most vocal leaders and was named team captain on multiple occasions across the 15 games he started in.

Herbstreit said that Barron has the statistics, the versatility and the sportsmanship to make his rookie season a historic one.

"He's got some great intangibles. [He's a] great leader, captain," Herbstreit said. "Not only are the numbers going to jump out, but he's played in a lot of big games at the highest level, and like I said, the versatility is what makes me think he's got a shot to really step in year one in the NFL and be turnkey."

Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron (DB04) runs in the 40 yard dash during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The only question remaining surrounding Barron is where he will end up on April 24. The latest mock draft from ESPN's Jordan Reid published on March 4 marks the 5-foot-11-inch, 194 pound prospect as the No. 24 overall pick, headed to the Minnesota Vikings. Another post-Combine mock draft from PFF locks Barron even higher as the No. 14 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts.

Barron has already met with teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburg Steelers, to name a few.

Ahead of his Combine performance, Barron said that he'd been asked by scouts which position he would prefer to play, and his response only reiterated the versatility that Herbstreit harped on.

"Honestly, I told them I want to play all of them," Barron said during media availability.

There's no limit to what Barron can accomplish in his first year, seeing as support for the former Longhorn continues to roll in, and all eyes will be watching to see where Barron will call home next season.

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