With the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft complete, the Denver Broncos have been identified by the Next Gen Stats Team over at NFL.com as a team that got tremendous value with their first-round selection, Jahdae Barron.
The Broncos added the Jim Thorpe Award winner, given to the best defensive back in college football. Though it was a pick hardly anyone would have predicted, the organization is excited about it and Next Gen Stats endorse it as a great pick.
Using Next Gen Stats, each player in the first round was given a production score and an athleticism score in order to get an overall draft score. Based on those scores, Barron had an overall draft score of 89, making him the third-most valuable pick of the entire first round. Only Mason Graham, who went to the Cleveland Browns, and Tyler Warren, selected by the Indianapolis Colts, came in higher.
Here is what NFL.com said in its analysis of the Barron pick:
"When you combine Barron's measurables with his on-field production at Texas, he stands out as one of the most analytically supported prospects in this year's class, according to the Next Gen Stats draft model. The first-team All-American earned the fifth-highest overall score (89) in the NGS model in 2025 -- each of the four players ranked above him were drafted within the top 14 picks.
With experience both in the slot and on the perimeter, Barron projects as a versatile chess piece for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and a strong complement to Patrick Surtain II . Perhaps that connection helped seal the deal -- at Texas, Barron played under Joseph 's cousin, Terry Joseph, who jumped from the Longhorns' coaching staff to the Saints' this offseason . Instead of addressing immediate needs, GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton selected the best player available at No. 20, according to both Daniel Jeremiah's draft board and the NGS model."
Barron will be expected to come in and have an immediate impact in Denver, likely as a slot corner. When you add him to a secondary that already has Surtain, Riley Moss, Ja'Quan McMillian, Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga, the Broncos have equipped their defense with players capable of slowing down these high-powered AFC West offenses.
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The Broncos still have six more picks in this draft to add to the offense. Look for the team to take a running back in either the second or third round.
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