All Dolphins

Why the Dolphins Should Consider CB Barron in the Draft

The versatile defensive back would be a great fit for the Miami defense

Dante Collinelli

Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron (DB04) runs in the 40 yard dash during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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
In this story:

The 2025 NFL Combine continued Friday with cornerbacks, safeties, and tight ends testing in front of all 32 teams. This is an especially important group of prospects for the Miami Dolphins, who have a need at all three positions.

While safeties and tight ends are frequently mocked to the Dolphins at 13th overall, cornerback is less common despite being just as much of a need. One name that should pick up steam following the workouts Friday is Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron.

Barron had an outstanding 2024 season, recording 10 pass breakups, five interceptions, 58 total tackles, and one sack. He was tasked with locking down half of the field for one of the best defenses in the nation this past season.

We decided to break down what makes Barron a worthwhile option for the Dolphins in Round 1 and how he fits with the team’s other defensive backs.

Barron’s NFL Combine Performance

Before diving into Barron’s fit with Miami, let’s look at his combine numbers. The Texas product didn’t win the weigh-in, as he’s a smaller cornerback.

He measured in at 5-10, 194 pounds with 29⅝-inch arms and a 73½-inch wingspan. All of those marks are below the 40th percentile for all cornerbacks since 1999. His arm length is the most concerning, ranking in the third percentile.

Barron needed to run well at his size, and he did. He ran the seventh-fastest time among cornerbacks at the event at 4.39 and had a respectable 10-yard split of 1.50 seconds. While the 40-yard dash gets most of the coverage, the 10-yard split is important for cornerbacks because it shows how quickly they can close throwing windows on shorter passes.

Barron’s performance drew a lofty comparison from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.

Barron’s overall combine won’t blow anyone away, but when paired with his stellar tape from Texas, it’s easy to see why he could be a player the Dolphins consider in the first round.

Evaluating Barron’s Tape

Barron was a three-year contributor to the Longhorns. He spent most of his time playing in the slot in 2022 and 2023, logging 389 and 382 slot snaps in those seasons, respectively. In 2024, Barron played on the outside, posting 679 snaps on the boundary as opposed to 122 slot reps.

We’ll get to how that versatility would help the Dolphins later, but it’s absolutely the first thing that sticks out when studying Barron’s film. He has a lot of experience playing different roles within a complicated defensive scheme.

Barron is at his best when he can stay leveraged on the top of routes and drive downhill on routes breaking into his zone. He shows tremendous instincts and football IQ to identify routes breaking into his zone, and he’s got an excellent feel for arriving on time to make a play on the ball without triggering a pass interference call.

Despite being undersized, he’s also wildly physical at the catch point, allowing him to make pass breakups while going to the ground with receivers. That physicality translates to how he defends the run, too.

According to PFF, Barron missed just seven tackles and made 19 run stops. His ability to play the run is critical to making the most of his versatility. Slot cornerbacks are closer to the line of scrimmage and are forced to tackle and deal with blockers more than outside cornerbacks.

Because of his size, he has some limitations defending the run, but Barron is scrappy and should do enough to warrant playing him in the slot at the NFL level.

Barron’s size also limits him in man coverage occasionally. Bigger receivers can out-reach him for the ball or push him off at the top of their routes. This makes playing Barron in press-man coverage a risky proposition.

He has the speed to run with receivers downfield, but if he gets knocked off the route at the line of scrimmage, he’ll risk giving up big plays.

How Barron Fits in Miami

Barron is an excellent scheme fit for the Dolphins. The Longhorns used zone coverage 78.15 percent of their snaps this past season, which allowed Barron to keep his eyes in the backfield and come downhill to make plays on the ball.

Specifically, the Longhorns played a lot of Cover 3, which accounted for 39.5 percent of the team’s snaps in 2024. Cover 3 was the Dolphins’ most-run coverage this past season, as Miami used it on 29.6 percent of snaps.

There are always adjustments for rookies when they come to the NFL, but Barron fits in exactly with what Miami wants to do at a base level on the defensive side of the ball.

What makes Barron extra appealing to Miami is the versatility he could provide. Miami’s only cornerbacks under contract for next season are Jalen Ramsey, Storm Duck, Cam Smith, and Ethan Bonner. Kader Kohou is a restricted free agent, and Siran Neal is an unrestricted free agent.

Assuming the Dolphins retain Kohou, drafting Barron would give the Dolphins the option to play Kohou wherever he’s most comfortable. Kohou has bounced between outside and the slot throughout his career but played best outside last season.

With Ramsey, Kohou and Barron as the Dolphins’ top three cornerbacks, Miami would have three cornerbacks who can play outside and in the slot. As mentioned above, Barron’s size could be a problem against bigger receivers.

If the Dolphins play a team with a dominant tight end who lines up in the slot, they could move Ramsey inside and put Barron on the outside.

As we mentioned earlier, Barron has drawn some comparisons to Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch. Branch has been an excellent player for the Lions largely because of his versatility and physicality. He’s given the Lions great play at slot corner, free safety, and in the box.

Barron won’t play many snaps at free safety, but he can operate in the box. At Texas, Barron played at least 145 snaps in the box in his three seasons with the Longhorns. Branch played 226 snaps in the box for Detroit last season, which is probably more than Barron should be asked to play.

However, if you consider that Barron is a cornerback and ran a 4.39 40-yard dash compared to Branch’s 4.58, there’s an argument that Barron’s brand of versatility is more valuable than what Branch does for the Lions.

Defense is all about throwing different looks at opposing quarterbacks and being able to stop all types of receivers. Barron would allow Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver to disguise coverages better and match up with just about any kind of pass catcher.

More Miami Dolphins News:

Published
Dante Collinelli
DANTE COLLINELLI

Home/News