Jahdae Barron labeled an 'easy pick' for San Francisco 49ers by Joel Klatt

When Jahdae Barron came back for another year at Texas, the overall goal was to improve his draft stock. Mission was certainly accomplished, winning the Thorpe Award as college football’s best defensive back. Now, he is getting first-round consideration and for FOX’s Joel Klatt, nearly a top-10 pick.

Klatt projected Barron to the San Francisco 49ers in his latest mock draft. He cites some of the pending free agents potentially leaving the organization this offseason. Barron would be a nice new presence for the 49ers, especially given the price of a rookie.

“They got some free agents in the secondary and I think the best player available at this point would be the Thorpe Award winner from Texas, Jahdae Barron,” Klatt said. “That fits for me. I think that’s an easy pick for San Francisco. Jahdae Barron, very good player. He can go to San Francisco that needs help on the defensive side.

“They’re going to be struggling contractually in the secondary. So, he can make them younger, he can make them cheaper in that area. And he can give them that same impact. Really liked his game, loved his game for a long time.”

Barron broke out at Texas as a nickelback but part of his return was making a position switch. The goal was to get reps as a pure cornerback and performed so well during fall camp that Steve Sarkisian made it a permanent switch. More times than not, Barron was going up against the opposing team’s best wide receiver.

In 16 games, Barron recorded 67 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and one sack. But he is not getting high looks in the NFL Draft due to those stats. Teams are more interested in the five interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and the 5-11, 183-pound frame. Of the five INTs, three of them were against Georgia — two during the regular season clash and another in the SEC Championship game.

The 49ers have continually been one of the NFL’s best defenses and gets another boost with Robert Saleh back on the coaching staff. Once the defensive coordinator, he is back in the role after leaving to be the New York Jets head coach. Arguably the franchise’s biggest addition of the offseason, both coaching and personnel-wise.

Drafting Barron would add another great piece to the secondary in what’s going to be a season of bounceback in San Francisco.