Broncos’ first-round pick Jahdae Barron is proven leader, versatile DB, and ‘best friends’ with Matthew McConaughey

In one of the pivotal moments of their lives a series away from another march through the College Football Playoff Jahdae Barron assembled his Texas Longhorns defense in a second overtime and delivered a message Play your battle Barron recounted them as Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe recalled months later There s a reason you re in this spot Everything that we do happens for a reason Keep playing your challenge and trust one another It brought them up Taafe reflected It settled them down And on a third-and- in January s CFP quarterfinal Texas defensive back Andrew Mukuba stepped in front of a toss from Arizona State s Sam Leavitt and fell to the turf with a game-sealing interception A lot of stuff for him is like yes the versatility on the field Taafe communicated The Denver Post of longtime friend and teammate Barron But the versatility as a leader and being able to connect with different people on the crew to get his voice across that s something I ll invariably remember That voice still carried on Friday even after Barron traded five years of Texas burnt orange for Broncos orange a day after the franchise selected him with pick No of Thursday s NFL draft In his introductory news conference in Denver the cornerback addressed Broncos Country and media alike with measured confidence the same beyond-the-tape maturity that enamored head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton With mother Techonia Davis and siblings watching from the side Barron spoke to media of family-taught lessons on treating everybody the same whether it s the janitor or the president the same leadership versatility that endeared him to Texas faithful That included apparently one Texas-fanatic actor who wrote on Twitter Thursday that Barron was a great young man I m best friends with like Matthew McConaughey Barron smiled to media The on-field versatility though is the reason the Broncos shocked the NFL world and snatched Barron up in the first round despite all constituents indications connecting Denver to the skill positions for months Two years ago as recounted by Texas s assistant director of athlete enhancement Michael Huff Barron sat down and immersed himself in studying the mental side of every defensive slot Corner Nickel Dime Linebacker Safety He took snaps at nearly every alignment in a breakout season at Texas as Longhorns defensive passing-game coordinator Terry Joseph cousin of Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph occasionally trotted Barron out in a hybrid linebacker-DB star role He put me there just understanding I was very savvy Barron disclosed Friday I can manipulate blocks just with my eyes His film investigation turned the competition into chess before his speed could take over He won the Jim Thorpe Award after picking off five passes in given annually to the best defensive back in college football His arrival in Denver suddenly presents the Broncos with a heap of secondary questions Perhaps he ll challenge Ja Quan McMillian at slot corner Or maybe he will play outside next to Pat Surtain II Either way Barron s far from a one-trick pony as Huff put it Related Articles Best available NFL draft Day prospects for Broncos Quest for running back continues in second round How Broncos fell in love with Texas CB Jahdae Barron We just couldn t stop watching him Broncos analysis CB Jahdae Barron adds versatility and intrigue to Denver secondary long-term Winners and losers from the first round of the NFL draft Broncos draft Jahdae Barron Here s how the national media graded the pick The combination of him whether he s outside opposite of Pat whether he s at the nickel or wherever he s at like a free safety I feel like he really can do it all Huff mentioned Beyond scheme questions the infrastructure is there for Barron to thrive forthwith in Denver a five-year collegiate participant praised widely for his maturity He d chatted with both quarterback Bo Nix and Surtain since hearing his name called Barron recounted Friday the Texas product adding he s watched Surtain s battle He ll get to join a slew of former Longhorns Barron calling newly-signed quarterback Sam Ehlinger my G O A T growing up And he ll work to master any role in the secondary he s given Barron declared Friday I want to thank Broncos Country just for having me Barron disclosed in his opening address I m gonna give you everything I got day in and day out Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis