Drought stress is the most serious problem affecting barley production worldwide. The development of resistant cultivars for limited rainfall areas can make a difference in meeting global food demands with less water utilization. However, this requires understanding the adaptive mechanisms occurring during a water deficit. The present study aimed to evaluate drought stress tolerance at the heading stage in some barley genotypes where morphological and agronomic traits were measured. The experiment was also planned to determine the correlation between the tested traits and to identify those that can be used as selection criteria. Seventeen genotypes were grown in pots arranged in split-plot design with two regimes, well-watered treatment and drought stress treatment (20% of the maximum soil water capacity for 15 days). Analysis of variance indicated significant differences among genotypes for most of the studied traits; where Tina and Acsad176 are more productive under drought conditions, Express and El Bahia are interesting genotypes for yield components. These genotypes can be candidates for further molecular studies and are recommended for future breeding programs in arid and semi-arid regions. Correlation coefficients revealed a significant positive association between grain yield and some tested traits that may serve as selection criteria. Moreover, the results suggest the importance of the root system for the barley selection process.