3 Michigan Wolverines with a chance to be plus-starters in their rookie NFL seasons

From preferred walk-on to national champion to NFL Draft pick, Max Bredeson was the definition of a Michigan man, and now he’s in a great spot to succeed in Minneapolis. Vikings longtime fullback CJ Ham retired at the end of last season, and I’m not sure they could have found a better replacement than Bredeson.

The two-time captain received All-Big Ten honors in 2025, and it was one of the many reasons the Vikings had their eyes set on him.

“This was a guy that was given almost no opportunity,” Vikings Director of College Scouting Mike Sholiton told The Michigan Insider. “He was given one semester by his family to make it or he was going to have to choose something else to do, become a Navy Seal. And he bet on himself and became so valuable that Michigan felt that they had to bring him back for his extra year, senior year. To be able to have a role and star in your role, I think that’s going to be important for all four of these day three picks…”

Not only does the Vikings organization have a long-term view of the fullback position with Ham being on the roster during a massive swing in fullback utilization across the league, but new Vikings assistant head coach Frank Smith utilized fullbacks on nearly 25 percent of snaps with Miami last season. That was the second-highest across the league.

Bredeson will see the field this season both on the offensive end and on special teams, two places where he shined in his time in Ann Arbor.

LB Jaishawn Barham – Dallas Cowboys, pick No. 92

The Cowboys came into the offseason knowing they needed help at linebacker after having one of the worst run defenses in the league last season. They also have some question marks remaining on the edge after moving Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Even after acquiring Quinnen Williams from the Jets at the deadline and Rashan Gary from Green Bay in another trade this offseason, youth at the position is lacking in Dallas.

Enter Barham, a single player who can fill both needs. I envision a world where they use Barham as a pseudo-Parsons. He is known for his unique size and speed combo at 6-foot-3, 250, while running a 4.39 40-yard dash. Barham was noticeably slower, but still ran a 4.64 at 6-foot-3, 240. Both experienced playing off-ball and on the edge in college.

The similarities are apparent, and the Cowboys’ staff compared Barham to No. 5 overall pick and Ohio State product Arvell Reese, who was comped to Parsons by many scouts during the draft process.

“I think he’s been on our radar all season, especially when we started talking about what we were trying to do defensively when at the Combine,” said Cowboys President of Player Personnel Will McClay. “(Defensive Coordinator) Christian (Parker) came in and talked about the linebackers and the outside and the inside linebackers and potentially doing some different things. And then you start looking at Arvell Reese. There’s a lot of similarities in what they do and how they did it. And just excited to get him on the roster because of number one, he’s extremely physical, and you want to increase the speed of your defense and the toughness. I think he does that.”

It’s possible Barham plays off-ball as well. DeMarvion Overshown is coming back from an injury, and they think he is a key piece of the defense. The team also traded for 49ers starting linebacker Dee Winters at the deadline, too. Playing a 3-4 defense leaves room for one more spot up for grabs, assuming Gary, Overshown and Winters are locks. Regardless, there’s an opportunity for Barham to step in and immediately have a role.