After a stellar Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys had to wait a while before they made another selection. Not owning a pick in the second round, Dallas was still more than happy with looking back at their haul from the first round, Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence.
When it came time for Dallas to pick at no. 92 overall, coming in the third round, the Cowboys took Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham. And, for those who did a little looking at Barham right away, fans might be wondering where he'll end up playing.
Fortunately, he's capable of lining up at multiple spots. Chris Peterson of GBMWolverine gave us a little more insight and, needless to say, Barham sounds like the perfect selection for a defensive-needy team.
Cowboys fans will be even more excited about Jaishawn Barham thanks to FanSided's Michigan savant, Chris Peterson
Straight from Peterson to The Landry Hat after the pick:
"A jack of all trades and a master of none, Barham could be an EDGE or an off-ball linebacker. He can rush the passer, cover, and is solid against the run. He's moved around a lot, playing LB and EDGE over the past two seasons. Barham ended his career with 23 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, seven pass breakups, an interception, and two forced fumbles. If he finds the right position, Barham can be an impact player at a value price."
Let's just take a bird's eye view, here. This is a Cowboys defense that was historically bad in 2025 and it happened after the franchise traded one of the faces of their team in Micah Parsons.
Not only did Dallas go defense with their first three picks, but in Barham, they got a player who can be unleashed in a variety of ways. Christian Parker is so far above Matt Eberflus, at this point in their careers, and Cowboys fans can trust their new DC a whole lot more when it comes to deploying guys like Barham.
Being able to plug Barham into different positions and feel good about him being someone who isn't going to do the wrong thing ... that's not talked about enough.
If he is truly a jack of all trades, then it sounds like the Cowboys simply drafted a good football player.
And that's what the defense needs. It's very simple. They needed to add more good football players, period. When it comes to a talent like Barham, not necessarily knowing where he'll fit in the NFL, that's OK. He's a good football player, and that's enough.
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