2026 NFL Draft: Grading the Draft Classes from the NFC East – Mark Heaney, Inside The StarThe grades are in.
Headlined by superstar Caleb Downs, the Cowboys started hot and stayed considerably strong through the rest of their defensive-heavy class.
3.92 (via SF) – Jaishawn Barham, EDGE/LB, Michigan: B+
The second A in the NFC East, the Giants swung big and started off hot. Their additions of Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa to start the draft really set the tone.
That gives Moore a puncher’s chance at cracking the starting lineup as a rookie. Cowboys fans shouldn’t go expecting that, but vice president of player personnel Will McClay clearly has high hopes for the former Gator (h/t Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
“The long athletic corner that can play press, he can play off, he can play zone schemes. And when you do pattern-match and some different things in defense, he can do those.
He understands spacing and stuff like that. He has the ability to tackle. He’s a big guy who can bend and run and change directions, mirror, double move routes, things like that.”
Will McClay raves about Dallas Cowboys’ fourth-round pick Devin Moore
Moore did have trouble staying on the field at Florida, but he didn’t miss a game in his final season. A massive 6-3 and 198 pounds, he fits the profile of CBs the Cowboys gravitate to.
You can never have too many cornerbacks, and the future of Dallas’ cornerback room, despite signing former Los Angeles Rams starter Cobie Durant in free agency, does not inspire confidence.
On the defensive side of the football, Dallas focused most of their draft capital on helping defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Here’s what an early projection for the defense could look like.
Starters:DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel Jr., Caleb Downs (R)Backups:Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Devin Moore (R), Reddy Stewart, Caelen Carson, Trikweze Bridges, Josh Butler, Corey Ballentine, Zion Childress
Starters:Jalen Thompson, Malik HookerBackups:P.J. Locke, Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark, Julius Wood
Starters:DeMarvion Overshown, Dee WintersBackups: Jaishawn Barham (R), Shemar James, Justin Barron
Starters:Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence (R)Backups:James Houston, Sam Williams, Marist Liufau, Tyrus Wheat, Isaiah Land
The potential for Barham to be a steal wasn’t lost on USA TODAY’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, who believes the Cowboys might have made one of the best value picks of the entire draft.
“Between his size (6-4, 240 pounds) and limited usage at edge rusher until his final season at Michigan, Barham offered up a projection less straightforward than many of his peers. What was readily evident, though, was his overall knack for creating disruption,” Middlehurst-Schwartz said.
“The Cowboys will start him off at off-ball linebacker, where his responsibilities are sure to be more complex than merely finding the ball and chasing it down,” he added. “Yet it might not be long before defensive coordinator Christian Parker wants to carve out more reps for a player who can make himself a mainstay in opponents’ backfields.”
Barham showed his versatility in college, playing both off-ball linebacker and edge rusher, but the vast majority of his snaps came at the former spot.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the early plan is the same, but defensive coordinator Christian Parker might be hard-pressed to keep it that way.