“Superhero,” “Killa,” “The Man Who Don’t Smile.” Just a few of the nicknames synonymous with the Michigan football team’s most explosive, physical and hard-hitting linebacker. But Friday night, it was simply “Jaishawn Barham” whose name was called by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the NFL Draft, going 92nd overall.
Barham spent most of his collegiate career slotted at inside linebacker, including the entirety of his two seasons at Maryland and his third with the Wolverines. He was named a Freshman All-American his first year with the Terrapins while leading the team in tackles for loss and tying for first in sacks. He’s earned All-Big Ten honors twice in his career. It’s always been Barham’s knack for disrupting the backfield that’s earned him his stripes, and a positional move his senior season allowed him to fully showcase his strongest talent.
Ahead of the 2025 season’s Week 3 matchup with Central Michigan, Barham’s propensity for attacking the quarterback off the edge was recognized with a start at edge rusher. He recorded six tackles and two sacks in only one half against the Chippewas. After that contest, the move was permanent.
Barham finished the 2025 season with 32 tackles, four sacks, 10 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. He earned a reputation for being a “violent” hitter with exceptional burst and the kind of situational awareness that helps his multi-positional success make sense.
However, that violence can also turn sour from time to time — in 2025, a targeting call in Week 1 left Michigan down a crucial defender in the first half against Oklahoma, and an incident against Ohio State involved the head-butting of an official. The Cowboys will either have to hope Barham’s high football IQ bleeds into these extracurricular moments, or embrace that aggression is simply part of Barham’s M.O.
What Dallas is getting out of Barham is someone who’s proven themselves as a punisher at multiple positions within the front seven. The Cowboys will have the ability to slot Barham in at either inside linebacker or stand-up edge, giving him ample opportunities to make even more names for himself at the next level.
