As he makes his case to be selected early in the 2026 NFL Draft, Jaishawn Barham participated in several drills at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week.
Among the highlights for Barham include above-average showings in the 40-yard dash and broad jump. See how he fared across the board below.
Combine results (historical percentile at position, via RAS.football, in parentheses)
Position: Edge/defensive end
Height: 6-foot-3.5 (57.9th percentile among defensive ends in Combine history)
Weight: 240 pounds (11.6th percentile)
Arm length: 32.375 inches
Hand: 10.25 inches
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds (93.5th percentile)
10-yard split: 1.61 seconds (89.9th percentile)
20-yard split: 2.69 seconds (91.9th percentile)
Vertical jump: 33 inches (67.3rd percentile)
Broad jump: 10-foot-3 (92.1st percentile)
3-cone drill: Did not participate
20-yard shuttle: Did not participate
Bench press: Friday (story will be updated if he participates)
Combine takeaways
Barham ranked in the 87th percentile among defensive ends in overall relative athletic score in Combine history. That might overstate his success compared to his current peers, however, as he was eighth out of 16 edge prospects who participated in enough drills in relative athletic score. Still, verified speed, acceleration and a stellar broad jump help NFL teams see his potential growth at the next level, and he was top-seven among edge rushers in everything but the vertical leap.
Notably, his overall RAS profile tests in the 94th percentile among linebacker, where his 240-pound frame is less of a liability. So a team that likes his skills and length at edge, but is comfortable with his lighter frame in an outside linebacker role might see him as a year-one fit in their system, as opposed to asking him to bulk up.
Career at Michigan
A former top-150 recruit out of Baltimore (St. Frances Academy), Barham played two seasons with Maryland. He was highly productive with the Terrapins, finishing his true freshman season with 58 tackles, 6.5 TFL, four sacks, 20 quarterback pressures and a forced fumble. He also quietly shined in pass coverage, allowing just 120 yards on 22 targets, with no receptions going for 20 yards or more or a touchdown. He was named freshman All-American by College Football News, and led Big Ten freshmen in tackles.
In 11 games as a sophomore, he recorded 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception (against Michigan), a pass breakup and 21 quarterback pressures. He struggled more in coverage (165 yards, two touchdowns allowed in 21 targets), but remained above-average across the board as a sophomore linebacker. He was named All-Big Ten honorable mention, then entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Michigan in January.
In his debut season with Michigan in 2024, Barham continued to stuff the stat sheet. He started all 13 games for the Wolverines, finishing second on the team with 66 tackles. He also added 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 20 quarterback pressures, 21 run stops and two pass breakups. In coverage, he allowed 26 receptions and 232 yards on 34 targets. His best traits last fall were his tackling and pass-rushing. Barham only missed four tackles all season, per Pro Football Focus, ranking eighth out of 181 power-conference linebackers in missed tackle rate. As a pass-rusher, his 20 pressures on just 95 pass-rushing snaps ranked 26th among linebackers in total pressures, and 45th in pass-rushing win rate.
In his senior season, Barham's success as a pass-rusher was featured more, including a formal switch to play edge mid-season. He played in 12 games with 11 starts (four at linebacker, seven at edge), and finished the year with 32 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, one forced fumble, three pass breakups and 21 quarterback pressures.
Though previously known for his pass-rushing, Barham shined as a run-stopper, leading all Michigan players in PFF's run defense grade. In fact, Barham ranked 13th out of 1,164 power-four defensive players in run-defense grade, including second among edge rushers, and was 11th among the same group in run-stop rate.
He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten for his efforts.
Latest projections
Barham is ranked No. 146 overall in the NFL Mock Draft database, and No. 12 among linebackers.
Barham is not projected to be selected in Pro Football Focus's three-round mock draft.
He not ranked in The Athletic's top-100 prospects ranking.
Barham is No. 65 in CBS Sports' top 330 prospects, and the No. 9 linebacker.
What scouts will like
Barham has long arms, good quickness and explosive physicality for his 6-foot-3, 248-pound frame. His speed and length allows him to play a variety of linebacker and edge roles in multiple NFL defenses. He is a proven tackler (24 missed tackles compared to 193 career tackles, per PFF) with noteworthy physicality, and his improvements over four seasons as a starter in stopping the run stand out. He was above-average for his position and size in coverage, especially in 2025, and has 82 career quarterback pressures on 424 pass-rushing snaps.
Ultimately, the Combine seems like the kind of setting where a bendy, long and quick-twitch athlete like Barham can show scouts his upward mobility as an edge prospect.
Questions to answer
The biggest question mark with Barham will be about his position at the next level, and if he grasped enough of the nuances in his half-season at edge to continue growing in that role at the next level. His ability to control his aggression — be it to avoid penalties or not over-commit on plays — will be examined by scouts. Scouts and NFL teams may also pay closer to his interview than other prospects, as Barham is notoriously quiet and did few interviews with media while at Michigan.
Elsewhere, Barham can improve his draft stock by putting testing times to athleticism that popped on tape. Those inside Michigan's facilities felt like Barham had first-round athletic traits, and showing that in Indianapolis could help Barham emerge as a more consensus top-100 prospect.