Cowboys Draft Guru Believes Team Landed Arvell Reese-Like Talent In Round 3

The Dallas Cowboys entered Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft with just one pick (No. 92 overall), but the team was able to make the most of its draft arsenal to land another impressive haul.

Dallas kicked off Day 2 by swinging a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for linebacker Dee Winters, before sitting back and watching how the draft board would play out.

The Cowboys' trade for Winters upgraded the linebacking corps for the cool price of a fifth-round pick, but the team wasn't done working on its defensive rebuild. When the team was on the clock in Round 3, it was another defensive prospect coming to Dallas.

Michigan Wolverines star Jaishawn Barham was Dallas' third-round pick, adding a dynamic and versatile player who can be molded by defensive coordinator Christian Parker. When speaking to the media after making the Barham selection, the Cowboys made it clear that they believe they struck gold.

Was Jaishawn Barham A Diamond In The Rough?

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

The Cowboys had high praise for Barham after making the selection, with Cowboys Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay going as far as to compare the Michigan star to Ohio State All-American Arvell Reese.

"He's been on our radar for a while, and when you look at Arvell Reese, there are things they do similarly," McClay said, via Patrik Walker of the team's official website.

Reese was the No. 5 overall pick by the division rival New York Giants. While Reese is a developed prospect who has been compared to former Cowboys All-Pro Micah Parsons, Barham is a raw prospect with unlimited upside.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer also sang Barham's praises, specifically noting his physicality and versatility. Schottenheimer believes Barham will start his time in Dallas as an inside linebacker.

"We love the physicality that he plays with" 💪

Schotty talks about @JaishawnBarham #CowboysDraft | @Fanatics pic.twitter.com/uHKDyDr1R1
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 25, 2026

"We're going to try him at inside linebacker first. We love the physicality that he plays with. But again, one of the things that if you watch a Christian Parker-led defense, Vic Fangio, it's those guys that can play off the ball, but then they stem on the ball," Schottenheimer said.

"Think of Zach Baun, guys that have the ability to do that. It changed our line calls offensively. But we think that we want to start him inside. But we also know that we can move him as a rusher on third down, passing situations, and that's what we love about the guy."

If Barham can become a player at the level of Baun, who is a defensive captain and wore the green dot for Parker's defense with the Philadelphia Eagles, it will be a pick that everyone looks back on while wondering how he fell so far.

Dallas now enters Day 3 of the draft with three fourth-round picks, and has an opportunity to continue its defensive overhaul, which has already paid off in a big way.

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