"Versatility is off the charts": Kirk Herbstreit makes eye-catching remarks about Steve Sarkisian's lethal weapon

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian will bid farewell to several of his top talents in the NFL draft this year. One of those players is cornerback Jahdae Barron. He joined the Longhorns back in 2020, a year before Sarkisian arrived in the program.

Last season, Jahdae Barron played an important role on the field for the Texas Longhorns. He recorded 57 total tackles and five interceptions to help Steve Sarkisian's team to a 13-3 record in their debut SEC campaign. They made it to the semifinals of the 12-team playoffs before being defeated by Ohio State.

Jahdae Barron ended his final collegiate campaign by being honored as a Consensus All-American, First-Team All-SEC, and also winning the Jim Thorpe Award. He was invited to this year's Scouting Combine. After the Combine, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit appeared on the Pat McAfee Show to rave about the Texas cornerback.

"I think Jahdae Barron. That would be my guy," Herbstreit said. "I saw he ran well, he worked out, which is fun to see these guys. Some of these guys opt-out for obvious reasons. This guy decided to go out and compete. I've covered this guy a lot, probably called 11 of 12 of his games. And I love to see a guy... one year he's out there playing at slot and playing it as well as anybody."

"And when you play the slot, it's not just okay he's on the inside. He's in run supports, he's blitzing, he's playing space, he's playing man. I mean the versatility is off the charts with him. And then the next year he comes back and he is on the outside."

"He's got some great intangibles, great leader, captain. So, not only the numbers are going to jump out, but he's played in a lot of big games at the highest level. And like I said, versatility is what makes me think he's got a shot to step in year one in the NFL and be turnkey."

Jahdae Barron put up an impressive performance at the Combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds. The cornerback also flaunted his athleticism with a 35" vertical jump, a 10'3" broad jump, and a 10-yard split of 1.5 seconds. Barron received a prospect grade of 6.35 and is projected to be a plus starter in the NFL.

---

Jahdae Barron credits his mother's motivation to run fast in the 40-yard dash

With a 4.39 seconds, the Texas cornerback tied for the sixth-fastest player in the 40-yard dash at the Combine. After his Combine performance, Jahdae Barron was interviewed by NFL Network's Stacey Dales.

During the interview, Barron stated that his mother has been his strongest source of motivation to achieve his dreams and goals in life.

"You have to do it. My mom tells me to do it so I can be committed to something, so I can hold myself to a standard," Barron said. "You have to be exact with your goals, you can't be off. You can't be a word off, you can't be anything off."

"Exactly what you want, you have to put it on there, and you have to look in the mirror everyday and tell yourself that's what you want."

Experts project Jahdae Barron to go late in the first round of the draft. It will be interesting to see which team decides to put up the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner.