Christian Parker Breaks Down Jaishawn Barham's Fit in Cowboys Defense

Barham is 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, the ideal build for a linebacker, but he plays well on the edge. Some teams might have been concerned with him being a "tweener," but defensive coordinator Christian Parker is more than happy to have options with Barham.

"The best thing is you don't have to project it, because you see it. At both Maryland and Michigan, he's playing both spots. He's off the ball, he's playing on the edge, they're playing Ohio State, it's goal line, he's three yards behind the nose and is tracking the football," Parker said during the team's first day of rookie minicamps via Tommy Yarrish.

Parker also revealed where he plans to use Barham to begin his career, which will be as one of their inside linebackers.

"So you see those different traits. You want to see him off the ball and kind of see how that goes from that transition before you put him anywhere else. You could take advantage of more versatility when he's on that second level than if he's on the edge. But he's certainly capable of playing both. We're going to keep him at MIKE right now and kind of see how that goes."

Jaishawn Barham has traits similar to elite prospect

Barham's ability to line up at both linebacker and on the edge has led to some impressive comparisons . SI's Daniel Flick even said he has traits similar to Arvell Reese, calling him " Reese Lite."

Expecting Barham to live up to such high expectations might be a bit much, but if the Cowboys can develop him into a starting-caliber linebacker, who can pressure the quarterback, that would be a huge win for them.