The Perfect Pick For The Buccaneers In The 2025 NFL Draft

By
J.T. Olson
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15

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need help in their secondary. Outside corner, nickel and safety are all on the table as potential targets in the upcoming NFL Draft. It is likely that the team will address at least two of these positions. 

They have been linked to several players who are expected to be picked early in the draft. These include Georgia safety Malaki Starks, Michigan corner Will Johnson, East Carolina Corner Shavon Revel and Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts. These players all bring a variety of high level skills and would each be a great addition to the roster.

However, if the Bucs could get one player who brings a collection of all their skills then that would be ideal. Someone with the versatility to play outside or inside corner and even p;ay safety if asked. Someone who is a top tier talent and preferably played at the highest level of college football.

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Well to quote Hubert Farnsworth, “good news, everyone!”. Such a player does exist and he is even expected to be on the board when the Buccaneers are on the clock. That player is Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron.

Barron has had a decorated career with the Longhorns which came to a peak last year when he won the Jim Thorpe award as the nations best defensive back. This was also the first time he moved outside to play corner after previously playing in the nickel and some safety. He has thrived in every role he has played and could play all of them in the NFL.

The foundation of his game is that Barron is a good tackler. He’s had at least 60 tackles in each of the last three seasons, including a career high of 78 in 2022. His physicality and willingness to deliver contact serve him well, especially when asked to play in the box. 

It was his exceptional skills in coverage that prompted the coaching staff to move Barron into an outside role. His awareness and zone coverage abilities are absolutely fantastic. He’s always in the right position and is always looking to make a play.

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That was evident this past year when he pulled in a career high five interceptions, which led the Southeastern Conference. This was well above his previous career high of two, but it makes sense that he has been more productive with move opportunities to make plays on the outside. It’s common sense to say that the more chances you give a great player to make plays the more plays he will make.

Generating takeaways has been a point of emphasis for the Bucs this offseason. It has been a message that general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles have echoed over and over. This year, Barron has proven that he’s the ballhawk that the Bucs are looking for.

Barron also brings another skill that Bowles will love and that’s communication. Having played so many different positions in the secondary Barron has an in-depth understanding of what everyone is doing and what each position needs to know. He spoke on this several times throughout interviews at the NFL combine. This is a highly intelligent football player who can be the voice of the back end of the defense.

With his physicality, playmaking and intelligence Barron is a perfect fit for the Bucs. Unfortunately, there might be one thing holding him back from being drafted by Tampa Bay. That is his physical profile.

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The Buccaneers have not drafted many cornerbacks under six feet tall in the Licht era. The two corners who fell short of that high threshold were Vernon Hargreaves and M.J. Stewart; both of whom washed out with the Bucs. Licht has a reputation of targeting bigger body corners.

Barron also falls just short of the Bucs athletic testing profile. Licht hasn’t drafted a player with his first pick who wasn’t in the 90th percentile of athletes relative to their position, also known as the relative athletic score (RAS), since he drafted Jameis Winston in 2015. That’s nearly a decade long trend that isn’t likely to be broken now.

These are the reasons that Barron hasn’t been regularly linked to the Bucs. He isn’t “their type” of athlete. However, that’s not to say he’s a bad athlete. He actually grades out in the early to mid 80s in terms of his percentile at all of free safety, strong safety and cornerback. These numbers calculate his size, so even though he’s on the smaller side compared to others, Barron is still a very good athlete for whatever position you want to play him at.

I can’t sit here and tell you that this pick will happen for the Bucs, but I will say that it should happen. Barron is a perfect fit for what the Buccaneers want both on and off the field. He is a leader, a ballhawk and a gritty run defender. If there was a player to break their pattern for then Jahdae Barron would be that guy.

For more from J.T. click here, then make sure to follow him on Twitter.

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