From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Michigan LB Jaishawn Barham.
No. 1 JAISHAWN BARHAM/LB MICHIGAN – 6-3 1/2, 240 POUNDS (SENIOR)
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Jaishawn Barham 6-3 1/2-240 10 1/4″ 32 3/8″ N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
4.64 1.61 DNP DNP
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
10’3″ 33″ DNP
THE GOOD
– Got in the backfield more often in 2025, significant jump in TFL and sacks
– Some experience rushing off the edge
– Plays with a lot of power, consistently jolts offensive linemen backward
– Solid understanding of the game, processes what’s happening in front of him
– One of the better all-around run defenders in college football last year
– Strength helps him shed blocks against the run consistently
– Very quick to recognize screens
– High motor, effort will never be a question
– Solid straight-line speed
– Lots of positional versatility, can play inside linebacker, outside linebacker in coverage and come off the edge as a pass rusher
– Good bend/flexibility when rushing the passer
– Quick off the snap no matter where he’s lined up
– Great size, frame for the position
– Changes direction pretty quickly
THE BAD
– Too many missed tackles, combination of poor angles/technique breaking down
– Doesn’t set the edge against the run consistently enough
– Lack of experience on the edge means it’s something he’ll need to polish after being drafted
– Busy, frantic playing style is nice, but he gets too aggressive at times
– Needs to keep his cool better, occasional gets 15-yard penalties, headbutted an official against Ohio State in 2025
– Needs more of a pass rush bag, both initial moves and counters
– Not good in pass coverage, especially in space
– Takes his pass rush too deep into the pocket at times, tackles are able to just keep forcing him deeper
STATS
– Career: 193 tackles, 23 TFL, 12.0 sacks, one interception, seven passes defended, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles
– 2022: 58 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, one pass defended, one fumble recovery one forced fumble
– 2023: 37 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, one interception, one pass defended
– 2024: 66 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, two passes defended
– 2025: 32 tackles, 10.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, three passes defended, one forced fumble
– 48 collegiate games, 23 with Maryland and 25 with Michigan
INJURY HISTORY
– 2025: Played just one play against Purdue before leaving with upper-body injury, had to miss rest of game
BACKGROUND
– DOB: Feb. 2, 2004 (22 years old)
– Hometown: District Heights, MD
– Graduated from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, MD
– Consensus four-star recruit
– Received offers from 11 power four schools, originally chose South Carolina, but flipped his commitment to Maryland
– Played at Maryland in 2022 and 2023, then transferred to Michigan for 2024 and 2025
– Studied Family Science at Maryland, majored in General Studies at Michigan
– Gives St. Frances plenty of credit for his development, feels like he grew a lot having to go to boarding school with football pedigree
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Jaishawn Barham is a very physical and aggressive player. That physicality shows up all over his tape, even when going against bigger offensive linemen.
Barham is just filling his gap here, and he quickly faces up with the right tackle. Notice the jolt he gives the lineman with his powerful hands. It doesn’t end up affecting the play, but he’s able to put a jolt like this into bigger bodies on a consistent basis.
Above everything else, Barham is just a really strong football player. That helps him against the run in a variety of ways, including his effort to shed blocks.
In terms of precision and having more of a plan to beat blocks, Barham needs refinement in his hand usage. But his pure strength gets him wins on a consistent basis, too. He’s rushing off the right frame of the screen, and the tackle quickly latches onto him. But it’s not a problem for Barham, who simply throws him to the ground, then makes a nice diving tackle.
Although he is a very aggressive player, that can hurt him at times. Sometimes Barham takes far too aggressive of angles, which leads him to get grabby instead of being able to actually use his technique through the tackle.
Barham starts this play in the middle of the field. He actually reads it well and immediately looks to take the flat route. But his angle just isn’t good. He ends up way behind the ball carrier, and all he can do is reach an arm out as the runner goes by.
That over-aggression hurts him coming off the edge, too. Barham has good instincts for the game, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience on the edge at the collegiate level. There are some mistakes that show up, especially when setting the edge against the run.
Barham’s rushing off the left side of the frame. He’s very aggressive and wins inside to start the rep but has no idea a counter is coming his way. He ends up giving away the edge. A run that shouldn’t have gone anywhere instead gains a handful of yards.
Unfortunately, missed tackles show up a little too often on Barham’s tape, both in 2024 and 2025. This one below is just a play you need your linebacker to make.
His defensive lineman takes away the lead blocker, so it ends up being just Barham and the running back. There is a lot of space here for the back to work with, but Barham just isn’t able to react quick enough. He doesn’t break down properly, and he misses the tackle. It resulted in a massive gain for USC.
I’m a big fan of Barham’s mental game. He understands the game well and processes things that are happening in front of him quickly.
Barham is rushing off the left side of the frame, around the edge. He realizes there’s someone heading into the flat and chips him to mess up the play’s timing. Once the quarterback tries to throw that route a moment later, Barham again gets in the way and deflects the pass.
It’s hard to run any kind of trickery at Barham. He recognizes everything coming his way. Look at how quick he notices the screen as it develops here.
Usually, the offensive line bailing on a play is a sure sign of a screen. But Barham recognizes this quickly. He ends up getting out there before any of the linemen actually commit to the screen block. He gets in the backfield to tie up the runner long enough for his teammates to come and help make the tackle.
CONCLUSION
There is a lot of promise in Jaishawn Barham’s game. He started to take more snaps at edge rusher later in his collegiate career, and I think there’s some real promise there for his NFL career. That’s where some of his strengths fit best. He’s physical, sheds blocks well and is very hard to move, all things more effective near the line of scrimmage.
That would also hide some of the faults in his game. Barham doesn’t take the best angles, and his tackling is more inconsistent in space. Pass coverage was also a bit of an issue throughout his collegiate career. I do think Barham can develop into a quality linebacker at the NFL level, and sticking at that position wouldn’t be a bad thing. His ceiling just might be a little brighter if he spent most of his reps on the edge.
Barham reminds me of another former Michigan defender, Josh Uche. He was another versatile defender with a lot of production behind the line of scrimmage. Uche played with a lot intensity and good power with sneaky strong hands. He also needed to develop more instincts on the edge and wasn’t especially good in space coming out of college.
NFL Projection: Late Day 2
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 7.8 (Spot Starter)
Grade Range: 7.4-8.4
Games Watched: vs Texas (2024), vs USC (2024), at USC (2025), vs Washington (2025)
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