A year after Junior Colson was one of the first linebackers selected in 2024, can Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham be the first LB taken in the 2025 NFL Draft with his scouting report?
Here’s a look at what the newly-acquired Wolverine brings to the table.
Jaishawn Barham’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 248 pounds
- Position: Linebacker
- School: Michigan
- Current Year: Junior
Barham was one of the most coveted transfer portal athletes of the entire 2024 offseason. A former four-star recruit who ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash in high school, Barham was a Freshman All-American in his very first collegiate season, and he’s impossible to miss on Maryland’s tape.
In 2022, Barham emerged with 58 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. In 2023, he added three more sacks and TFLs in addition to his first career interception. The Saint Frances Academy product has always had the talent, but now he’s proving it to the nation.
If he declares for the 2025 NFL Draft, Barham will be just a 21-year-old rookie. And already, he’s one of the most compelling LB prospects in the 2025 class.
He might not be as well-versed in coverage, but Barham’s two-phase, three-down upside is nearly unmatched.
At Michigan, filling the void left by Colson, Barham will get his chance to play on an all-league defensive unit. He can stamp his mark on the national stage, while also providing evidence for scouts to take him early.
Barham’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Built almost like an edge rusher, with stellar height, compact mass, and length.
- Has the elite vertical explosiveness to sear through gaps and swallow up runners.
- Has the energetic lateral athleticism to square up and patrol gaps with quickness.
- Rangy second-level defender who can close ground easily with explosive long speed.
- Active pre-snap communicator who can get teammates in position and call signals.
- Able to recognize pullers on counter runs and flow to the correct gap with voracity.
- Has the take-on strength and contact power to freeze pullers in place and erase gaps.
- Willing to do the dirty work and take on blockers to allow teammates to make plays.
- Can sequentially pry past blocks and enter pursuit with hyperactive mobility and urgency.
- Beautifully combines patience, reaction speed, and corrective quickness in the box.
- Rarely goes on auto-pilot in the box, and presses the line while staying composed.
- Relentless physical presence salivates at the chance to slab blockers and stop runs.
- Functional coverage LB who understands hip leverage and translates well with agility.
- Near-elite pass-rushing threat with deadly burst, bend, and an arsenal of rips and bulls.
- Can power through interior gaps as a blitzer, or beat tackles with speed and bend.
Weaknesses
- Proportional length, while stellar, might not be quantifiably elite.
- On occasion, can be a tick faster to recognize play direction and blocking schemes.
- Occasional hesitation off the snap can leave him sealed off against inside runs.
- Sometimes oversets laterally against option plays, leaving cutback lanes open.
- On occasion, can be late to drop and get depth in coverage after play-action fakes.
- Is, at times, too static in coverage, failing to recognize receivers sneaking behind him.
- At times, can be reckless with his physicality, drawing potential penalty risks.
- In certain situations, can be more controlled stacking and shedding to control spacing.
- Can be a bit more consistent dropping his shoulder and wrapping up as a tackler.
- At times, plays a bit too far upright in coverage, which can snag hip transitions.
- Sometimes fails to recognize and pick up running backs sneaking out into the flats.
- Is not a prolific playmaker in coverage and can improve coordination and ball skills.
- Has room to keep expanding his pass-rush arsenal to counteract non-elite length.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Barham grades out as a fringe first-round prospect who could work his way up the board in Round 1 with a good junior season.
Barham enters the year as my LB1, slightly over Clemson’s Barrett Carter and LSU’s Harold Perkins Jr.
At 6’3″, 248 pounds, Barham is a lab-built linebacker who compounds that size and strength with an elite blend of explosiveness, agility, and twitch, and he also has superb long speed and range at the second level.
Going past the immediate physical foundation, Barham also has the bend to threaten offenses as a pass rusher, both through gaps and outside the tackle. And his nail-eating physicality is a trait that molds together his game, especially in the box.
In a modern NFL that’s evolving each year, Barham is one of the best-equipped LB prospects in recent years to fight the return of the run game.
He’s a patient, disciplined box defender who can recognize blocking angles and schemes, sift through congestion, flow to the ball, and slab linemen with relentless force.
As a coverage defender, Barham is still a work in progress, and he can also improve his tackling form in spite of his conducive physical tools.
But overall, Barham’s profile is extremely promising. He has the rare gifts needed to be a two-phase terror on the attack, with visible coverage upside and MIKE potential.