Broncos' First-Round Pick of CB Jahdae Barron Supported by New Data

There were a lot of shocked fans when the Denver Broncos drafted cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall pick, and not a running back. Many felt that addressing the Broncos' most glaring roster hole — running back — or the defensive line would be the way to go, but the extent of the team's need at cornerback was lost in the shuffle.

The cornerback needs started with health and depth at the position. Emerging in 2023, Ja’Quan McMillian was a solid starter, but he had his issues in zone coverage. While he's been great in man coverage, teams have been able to exploit McMillian in zone.

Meanwhile, Riley Moss missed some time and was rushed back from injury late in the 2024 season. In Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns, the Broncos' depth was badly exposed, as Levi Wallace was consistently beaten by Jerry Jeudy.

Denver ended up rushing Moss back from his injury, and it led to him being targeted and attacked in coverage, especially by Joe Burrow in the Broncos' Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Even Patrick Surtain II missed some time earlier in the season, and the Broncos' secondary subsequently struggled while he was absent. 

The health and depth of the cornerback position make it clear why Barron was a necessity. Now, let's examine some new data. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Moss was the fourth-most-targeted cornerback on all routes. PFF recently broke down cornerbacks by the situations in which they were targeted.

Moss also allowed the fourth-most catches. When you limit the data to targets on the outside, he was the NFL's most targeted corner while also allowing the most receptions. 

It's not an easy job playing opposite the Defensive Player of the Year, though. Just ask Sean Payton.

“When you’re opposite of Patrick, you’re getting a lot of traffic," Payton said of Moss earlier this week. "He rose to the occasion. He’s someone who’s extremely smart. So studying splits, all the things that allow you to have a chance to be a pretty good corner. I say this, if you’re covering everything, you’re not covering anything. Tight split, minus-2, plus-2, runway. In eliminating routes that can’t be run. He’s having a good offseason.”

Moss has been solid for the Broncos and will likely continue as the other boundary corner when the defense is in nickel with Barron in the slot. Moss had a solid 2024 season. However, there is a clear area where he needs to improve, or the Broncos could be looking at making a change after this season. 

Barron will likely fill the slot and take over for McMillian, which means Moss will still be on the field a lot. Where Moss will likely see a little less time is when the Broncos are in their base package with only two corners, where Barron will likely take the boundary spot. However, with the Broncos often playing in nickel, which may as well be considered their base defensive package, all three corners (Surtain, Moss, and Barron) are likely to see 900-plus snaps this season. 

When it comes to the slot, McMillian was far and away the NFL's most targeted cornerback with 102 targets, 10 more than the next nickel and almost 40 more than the corner with the third-most. He relinquished 77 receptions in the slot and was one of only two nickel corners to allow more than 50 catches from that spot. The Broncos need more shut-down ability in the slot. 

There were multiple occasions last year when the Broncos' opponents were able to pick up the first down by targeting McMillian. While he did well in making plays for the defense, it wasn’t enough to compensate for the big plays he allowed to opponents.

Regarding the McMillian subject, there has been speculation about whether another team looking for a starting nickel might come calling and whether such a team would offer enough for Denver to consider a trade. The Broncos would be remiss to deal away their best depth corner, though, as it would somewhat nullify the Barron pick and essentially set the secondary back to where it was pre-draft, still needing depth. 

Whatever happens with McMillian, it's clear that the Broncos needed a cornerback. Even as the Broncos still work on his contract, Barron was a necessary pick.

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Time will only tell whether it worked out in the team's favor. The Broncos didn’t expect Barron to be there. The pick was a good one, and now it's time for Barron to make good on the Broncos' decision.