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Syracuse Orange defensive back Alijah Clark (5), defensive back Justin Barron (8), and defensive back Jayden Bellamy (23) combine to tackle Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Daejon Reynolds (3) at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y., Saturday November 11, 2023Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.
com Scott Schild | [email protected] Javon Edmonds | [email protected] Leila Frankina | Contributing Writer Syracuse, N.
Y. — The Dallas Cowboys have signed Syracuse defensive back Alijah Clark and linebacker Justin Barron as undrafted free agents. JB too??? @dallascowboys 😱 @justinbarron22 is joining @cinco_agent in Dallas !!️💰 #NFLDraft | #ProOrange pic.
twitter.com/w8H9tvo98o Clark’s speed tested well at the NFL combine. His 4.
5-second 40-yard dash tested in the 73rd percentile and his 1.53 10-yard split tested in the 78th percentile. Clark was recruited by Rutgers when Syracuse head coach Fran Brown when Brown was there in 2021, spending one year with the Scarlet Knights.
Clark transferred to Syracuse in 2022, playing in at least 12 games in each of his three seasons with the Orange. He finished his college career with two interceptions, 12 tackles for loss and nine pass deflections while also playing some special teams. Clark was named defensive MVP in Syracuse’s 2024 Holiday Bowl win against Washington State.
Clark said that NFL scouts have been impressed with his movement in the secondary. “They just said that it’s rare what I do,” Clark said at Syracuse’s March 17 Pro Day. “I play safety but I move like a corner at the same time.
I can hit like a safety as well. Then I can play corner, play nickel, I can play in the post. I’m a versatile player and they said that will definitely help me get on the 53-man roster.
” Clark spoke to all 32 NFL teams throughout the draft process and worked out for the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. Now, he ends up on a Cowboys team that ranked 17th in passing defense last season and will likely compete for a backup safety spot and see time on special teams. “I just want to be on the field,” Clark said.
“I’m comfortable on the field, I ain’t comfortable on the bench.” In five seasons, Barron showcased his versatility as a utility player for Syracuse. Hailing from Connecticut, he started his career as a wide receiver in 2020 and then moved to defensive back at the end of the 2020 season.
The final 12 games of his collegiate career were spent at linebacker, the position he is currently listed under in addition to safety. About two months before the draft, Barron said in an interview with Justin Melo of The Draft Network that he wants “to be a plug-and-play guy who learns the entire defense.” In late January, Barron was announced as one of two Syracuse players in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
He collected eight total tackles (five solo), two tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, a quarterback hurry and a pass broken up during the Senior Bowl game. “His ability as a run defender remains the ‘A’ trait in his game,” Ryan Fowler from The Draft Network said. “His play style is different from traditional downhill linebackers.
He takes outstanding angles to the football, using his length and fluidity to slip past blocks rather than take them on head-on.” As a two-time team captain, Barron started all 13 games for the Orange (12 at linebacker and one at safety) in the 2024 season. He racked up a team-best of 93 tackles, putting him 12th in the ACC for this category.
He concluded his collegiate career with a total of 294 tackles (84 at linebacker), which ranks third among Syracuse players who played defensive back. In addition, he received All-ACC honorable mention twice and was a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Semifinalist in his last season. He will now compete to be a backup linebacker in the Cowboys’ 4-3 scheme.
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