The Denver Broncos sported one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2025. Over the course of the offseason, the team saw three players in Dre Greenlaw, P.J. Locke, and John Franklin-Myers head elsewhere to resume their pro careers.
One of the premier strengths of the team is their group of pass rushers. However, there is a bit of ambiguity about the long-term future of their inside linebacking corps—despite retaining both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Maybe the Broncos opt to use a selection in the 2026
NFL Draft on a prospect that offers potential at both positions. That’s something they have done in years past, but with a mixed bag of results.
A player that caught my eye this year that has inside and outside versatility is Michigan defender Jaishawn Barham. After spending his first two seasons at Maryland, Barham transferred to the Wolverines in 2024 and was a key cog in their defensive efforts. This past season, he saw a significant uptick in snaps as an edge rusher—accounting for over 70-percent of his total snaps for the year.
He’s a tough and physical player that plays with tenacity and passion. Though his lack of discipline can become problematic resulting in missed plays and bone-headed penalties. If a coach can round out his rough edges, Barham’s positional versatility, skillet and upside could have him be a big playmaker at the next level.
Let’s take a deeper dive into Barham, his strengths and weaknesses, and when the Broncos should consider selecting him in April.
Player Profile: Jaishawn Barham — Edge Rusher — Michigan
Height: 6’3-1/2” | Weight: 240 pounds | Arm Length: 32-3/8” | Hand Size: 10-1/2” | Age: 22 Years Old
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds | 10-yard split: 1.61 seconds | Vertical: 33” | Broad Jump: 10’-3”
Statistics at Maryland and Michigan: 48 games played, 193 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles.
Film Room & Highlights
Hart’s Scouting Report
Positives:
- Versatile player that has great size and athleticism
- Plays with his hair on fire and you won’t ever have to question his on-the-field effort
- Tape boasts the physicality, strength, and technique to shed blocks and make plays in the backfield
- Four-year starter between Maryland and Michigan with over 2,000 defensive snaps
- Totaled 81 pressures and 51 quarterback hurries in college, despite only playing edge rusher in a limited capacity
- Effective blitzer against the quarterback and does well against the run
- Despite lack of experience at edge, has a great burst off the line of scrimmage and gets to the quarterback quickly
- Offers special teams’ ability with over 175 career collegiate snaps in the game’s third phase
Negatives:
- Just a little over half a season in full-time usage as an edge rusher
- Still developing his pass rushing arsenal and set of moves
- Sometimes has a gambler’s mentality and over aggressiveness can lead to busted plays
- Missed tackle rate doubled in ‘25 compared to his ‘24 campaign with the Wolverines
- Coverage skills still need quite a bit of work, but I like his toughness and ability to re-route receivers and tight ends operating over the middle of the field
- Hot-headed nature on the field resulted in fifteen penalties in four seasons of play
Hart’s Projection: Top 75 Selection (Mid Day 2 Grade)
Why the Denver Broncos should consider drafting Barham
The Broncos have a strong group of edge rushers, but a little wrinkle was thrown into the mix when Head Coach Sean Payton announced that third-year pro Jonah Elliss would be seeing “some” snaps at inside linebacker this season. Whether or not the transition is just situational or on a full-term basis remains to be seen.
Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Que Robinson, and Dondrea Tillman are a strong four alongside Ellis. At inside linebacker, Singleton and Strnad will be the team’s starting duo again for the ‘26 season, with a handful of former UDFA prospects hoping to earn a spot on the final roster as well.
Lacking a first and third round pick, finding versatile prospects capable of playing multiple positions would be a smart thing for the Broncos to consider. Barham’s versatility as an edge defender who also boasts significant snaps prior in his collegiate career at inside linebacker make him an interesting prospect.
Not every team will have the same projection on him. Some may want to deploy him predominantly at edge, while others may look at his first three seasons of collegiate play and feel he is better suited as an off-ball player. I’m not sure how Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph views Barham. Yet there’s no doubt Joseph has historically had interest in hybrid defenders—particularly those who can get after the quarterback.
I’m probably higher on Barham than most. A lot of consensus boards have him as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick. However, I feel his overall skillset and traits will result in him hearing his name called in the Top 75 come April. Pick 62 in the second round may be a little bit early for him. However, targeting the former Terrapin turned Wolverine in a modest trade down would be an intriguing scenario and one I’d definitely be in favor of.
There is no clear-cut number three linebacker on the team. Jordan Turner, Levelle Bailey, and Karene Reid will be battling for a final roster spot alongside former third-round pick Drew Sanders.
It’ll take time for any defensive rookie to hit the ground running in Denver. Most every key starter from ‘25 is slated to return. Even so, finding a prospect that can learn the ropes—especially at multiple positions—would be a wise decision for Denver. Barham’s one of those players. You can see two positional visions for him, but maybe they coalesce and whatever team draft’s him winds up getting a dynamic defender for their defense for years to come.
