The New England Patriots need help in the pass rush department, and this draft class is deep with edge rushers.
The Patriots do not necessarily need to target an edge rusher in the first round. They signed Dre'Mont Jones, who essentially replaced K'Lavon Chaisson and they will hopefully have a healthy version of Harold Landry. They could wait for the second round to target pass rushers, and ESPN's Field Yates predicted they would do just that by selecting Jaishawn Barham with the 63rd pick in the draft.
"Barham spent two seasons at Maryland as an off-ball linebacker before finishing at Michigan in a role that was more edge rusher heavy," wrote Yates on Tuesday. "He's an extremely explosive player whose heavy hands knock offensive tackles back, but he could still develop more of a rush plan and pick up some of the nuances of the edge position. New England needs real juice off the edge after just 35 sacks in 2025 (tied for 22nd in the league)."
Barham is not a polished player yet, according to NFL analyst Lance Zierlein, but the aspects of his game that need work can be taught. He relies too much on athleticism right now, and the problem with that is that in the NFL, everyone is a great athlete, so it's tougher to have that as an advantage over others.
"He’s raw as a rusher, relying heavily on athleticism, but the missing elements are teachable," wrote Zierlein. "Whether outside or inside, he’s a professional block-beater with the tools to stack or slip blocks, though his edge-setting needs work. His bend and reactive agility create unlikely tackle chances that few can find. His intensity and motor are top-tier but he needs to play with better discipline to avoid negative snaps. With explosive traits and inside-outside versatility, he projects as an impactful future starter once his technique catches up."
Given that the Patriots signed Jones and have Landry, they can afford to draft a project rusher in round two of the NFL Draft. Zierlein noted that his NFL comparison is Chop Robinson, who has 10 sacks in the last two seasons, despite playing limited snaps.
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