Packers Take Cornerback in Bucky Brooks’ First Mock Draft
![Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2321,h_1305,x_0,y_396/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/packer_central/01jjscybf3nyxzd287hk.jpg)
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, a “Swiss Army Knife” defensive back, was the first-round pick for the Green Bay Packers in Bucky Brooks’ first mock draft for NFL.com.
“This could help the Packers move on from Jaire Alexander and others in the secondary,” Brooks wrote. “Barron’s versatility would make it easy for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to carve out a role for the Texas product as a rookie.”
As a fifth-year senior, Barron moved from the slot to perimeter cornerback and led the conference with five interceptions. He added an additional 11 pass breakups, one sack and three tackles for losses to earn first-team All-American and the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.
“I think Jahdae has made himself a ton of money this year by coming back,” Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said in November.
Barron also was the choice in a new Pro Football Focus mock draft. According to PFF, he allowed a passer rating of just 33.1 in 2024.
After Barron was named SEC co-Defensive Player of the Week following a November win over Arkansas, Sarkisian said:
“He's such a versatile guy because he's savvy in his coverages and his blitzing and things, but yet, he's got a knack for the football. His football IQ is really high, his awareness is high. I think the mentality he brings to the stadium every Saturday is what he brings every day in practice. And I think the guys respond to him that way.”
Barron is the No. 9 player on NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s initial top-50 list. Jeremiah called him a “Swiss Army Knife” because of his proven history as a playmaker at perimeter cornerback (where he played most of 2024), slot (where he played most of 2022 and 2023) and even at dime linebacker.
“He’s a quicker-than-fast athlete with outstanding eyes and conviction,” Jeremiah wrote. “He’s at his best when he can play off and see through receivers to the quarterback. He reads the QB’s drop and anticipates to beat pass catchers to the ball.”
While Barron “lacks elite top speed,” those aforementioned eyes and instincts typically get him to the right place at the right time. Plus, he’s an excellent blitzer and tackler, which is why Barron compares favorably to Detroit Lions star Brian Branch, who has been a standout at safety and in the slot.
However, do the Packers need another safety who can play in the slot? That was second-round pick Javon Bullard’s role as a rookie.
If the Packers need more a pure perimeter corner, Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison was the pick at No. 24 for the Vikings and East Carolina’s Shavon Revel was the choice at No. 32 for the Saints.
Would the Packers ever take a receiver in the first round? History says no, though that history might have been different had Justin Jefferson or Brandon Aiyuk been on the board a few years ago. In this mock, receivers went at Nos. 19, 21 and 22.
The Bears bolstered their offensive line at No. 10, the Vikings took a corner at No. 24 and Detroit took college football’s top pass rusher at No. 28.
Click here for full mock draft.
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