Cowboys' Jaishawn Barham Could Be One Of 2026 Draft's Most Impactful Rookies

Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are often lightning rods for criticism, but there's one thing that he and his front office do incredibly well, which is the NFL draft.

Dallas has its share of misses, with nose tackle Mazi Smith and defensive end Taco Charlton standing out as their biggest whiffs over the past decade. Those two former first-rounders didn't work out, and the Cowboys are still waiting for 2023 second-rounder Luke Schoonmaker to develop into a solid TE2.

What all three of those players have in common, besides being among the few misses by Dallas, is the fact that they played at Michigan. That's why some fans might have been a little hesitant to celebrate the selection of Jaishawn Barham this year. Barham, who was a stud linebacker/EDGE for the Wolverines was the 92nd overall pick in Round 3 and so far, the scouts have been in love with this pick.

Cowboys might have landed a steal in Jaishawn Barham

Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham sacks Central Michigan quarterback Joe Labas. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Barham's list of believers includes SI's Daniel Flick, who named Barham among the top 10 impact players selected during night two of the draft. Flick even compared him favorably to Ohio State's Arvell Reese, who was selected fifth overall by the New York Giants.

"The Cowboys were tied to a potential trade-up for Arvell Reese in the first round, and many drew the natural line from Reese to Micah Parsons. Dallas didn’t get Reese, but it landed Reese Lite. Barham starred as an inside linebacker in 2024 before playing off the edge more in 2025," Flick wrote.

"He’s versatile, athletic and rangy at 6' 3½" and 240 pounds, and while his lack of size and rush refinement should push him to an off-ball role, he’s advanced at handling blockers and will be a weapon as a blitzer. Barham is a fun player, and the sooner the Cowboys let him rip from different alignments, the better."

Barham, who started his career at Maryland, spent the final two years in Michigan. He finished his collegiate career with 193 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks.

Barham shares common ground with last successful player Cowboys took from Michigan

Michigan Wolverines CB Jourdan Lewis scores a touchdown on an interception against the Northwestern Wildcats. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

For those who are worried about the issues Dallas has had with Michigan players in recent years, Barham does have ties to the last Wolverine to have success with the Cowboys.

Jourdan Lewis was a third-round pick in 2017, which means he was the last Michigan player Dallas took in the third round until Barham. While that doesn't guarantee success, it should ease some of the concern. Lewis proved to be a steal, giving the Cowboys eight years of solid play before signing a massive deal in free agency with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025.

Now, they're counting on Barham to be their next Round 3 steal from Michigan.

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