Steelers Had Productive Meeting With Standout NFL Draft Prospect

The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their preparation for the 2025 NFL Draft by meeting with a slew of prospects, including Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron.

Barron, one of several Texas products who’s impressed teams throughout the NFL Scouting Combine, spent five seasons with the Longhorns. The 23-year-old is a projected first-round selection and could end up in Pittsburgh — the Steelers have the 21st overall pick. But first, the franchise wanted an official meet-and-greet with Barron, which went well, as Barron himself described.

“It went good,” Barron told reporters at the Scouting Combine, per DK Pittsburgh Sports. “They were just finding out about me, really honestly. Who I was as a person, the things that I’ve faced. I’ve faced a lot of adversity. Just a lot of growing up to do. I grew up perfectly, just maturing in the right way. Thanks to (Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian) for that. Just helping me on and off the field. He always told me, ‘The better the man, the better the ball player.’ Just taking that into consideration every single year, every single day about my journey, it really changed me and I matured a lot. Just building connections, graduating, and then turning my life around on the field is how I took about the treatment room and things like that.”

Barron can’t control much entering April’s draft, however, that hasn’t stopped him from garnering attention at the combine. He finished the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, ranking sixth among other defensive backs, and ran a 1.5-second 10-yard split. When asked by NFL Network’s Stacey Dales, Barron referred to his mother, Techonia Davis, as his inspiration behind striving toward bringing his lifelong pro football dreams to 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 told Dales. “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 every day and tell yourself that’s what you want.”

Barron, standing at 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds, is among the most versatile, speedy and athletic cornerbacks offered in this year’s draft class. Pittsburgh has a lot to take into consideration before the time comes when they are on the clock in the first round.

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