This past week, Matt, Ant and I profiled some potential fits for the Lions at the edge position; be it as a big end, a rush end or a SAM linebacker. Since I loved a few players, I thought why not type my notes up into something more coherent for you all to read. The first of these profiles is on Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who could be a potential fit for us as a SAM linebacker.
Campbell is 6'3" and weighs 244 lbs. For the sake of comparison, this is the same height and one less pound than Sam LaPorta, or the same height but six pounds heavier than Alex Anzalone.
In the 2024 college season, Campbell played 781 defensive snaps; 351 in run defence, 330 in coverage and 100 rushing the passer. He spent 637 of these snaps in the box, 112 as a two-point rusher on the defensive line, 27 in the slot, 4 at free safety, and 1 at wide corner. On defence, Campbell registered 112 tackles (23 assisted), a 5.9% missed tackle rate, 65 run stops, 2 forced fumbles, 20 pressures (8 sacks, 2 QB hits and 10 hurries), and a 20% pressure rate. He was also targeted 30 times, allowing an 80% catch rate, 7.1 yards allowed per reception, 2 PBUs, 1 interception and an 87.5 passer rating allowed. He was also flagged 5 times.
He also played 55 snaps on special teams. On these snaps, he registered no special teams tackles, but he also did not concede a penalty either.
To evaluate Campbell as a prospect, I watched his 2024 games against Georgia and Vanderbilt, which were almost polar opposites in how PFF graded him. PFF gave him a 77.1 grade against the Bulldogs, with him making 4 tackles (1 assisted), missing a further tackle, making 2 run stops, and allowing a catch for 7 yards on 2 targets, also making an interception. Against the Commodores, PFF graded Campbell at 42.5. In this game, he made 11 tackles (4 assisted), missed a further 2 tackles, made 4 run stops, and registered a QB hit, while also giving up a 100% catch rate and 60 yards on his 3 targets.
Campbell demonstrates really good athleticism, perhaps earning him the tag of possessing "sideline-to-sideline" speed. This flashed multiple times in both games. Against Georgia, he was able to chase down a tunnel screen after blitzing Carson Beck, covering nigh on 40 yards to be the first one to make the tackle on the receiver. He also made a good tackle on Beck after he scrambled in the same game. Versus Vanderbilt, he scraped the line well to tackle Diego Pavia for a loss on a QB keeper late in the game, as well as doing similarly on an end-around earlier in the game. This high level of athleticism, combined with his high football IQ, means that he is consistently one of the first people to the ball carrier. His high football IQ is also demonstrated by his good communication both pre-snap, directing traffic and telling people where to go, and post-snap with him being able to hand off crossing routes to his partner at ILB at a consistent level.
Campbell usually makes good fits against the run, holding his gap integrity to either make the tackle or force the running back outside into traffic. He made a great tackle for loss in a goal-to-go situation versus Georgia, and there were a couple of instances in both games where he made the right read on the run play but was then, unfortunately, blocked out of the play by a pulling lineman or tight end.
His athleticism and football IQ also mean he has some great coverage skills, especially in man. There was an instance against Georgia where Campbell moved post-snap from his WILL alignment to cover a corner route from an inline tight end on the strong side of the formation, blanketing him out of the play. His interception on Beck came from him reading the QB's eyes on his zone drop, timing his leap well to snag the ball out of the air (though one could argue it was a poor read from Beck, who was throwing the ball into quadruple coverage). Campbell was also able to "turn grass to ass" on a scramble drill against Georgia, covering the tight end and forcing Beck to look elsewhere.
Despite not rushing the passer often in his college career, Campbell does show flashes of possessing some pass-rush moves. He utilised a spin move as well as good bend around the edge versus Vanderbilt, while he also showed a bull rush and swipe move versus Georgia. However, one could maybe want more from Campbell in this respect given he was recruited to Alabama as an edge rusher. Instead, Campbell usually relies on his speed to try and beat the person opposite him, instead of utilising a pass rush plan when he is deployed as an edge rusher. He can also get too low when engaging with a blocker, moving his centre of gravity to a point where the blocker can use it to topple him over and pancake him.
Campbell is also guilty of dropping too deep in zone coverage at times, opening up the possibility for an extra few yards if the QB decides to scramble. He also appeared to abandon his man on a rep versus Vanderbilt, neglecting to hand him off to his fellow ILB, which led to a big catch. He also tends to arm tackle at times, with his failure to use proper technique leading to big plays in both games. Against Vanderbilt, he also bit heavily on play fakes, with two notable instances being on a play action pass that led to a long passing touchdown, and a speed pitch option where Campbell got too close to Pavia, allowing him to pitch the ball to the running back for a long run.
Overall, Campbell is a linebacker who can play either "OLB" position in a 4-3 defence to a high level, with his skillset being more akin to an off-ball LB rather than a pass rusher, though he has the tools and ability to perform well at pass-rushing if called upon. He is a solid all-around linebacker prospect, whose range of outcomes I can see being Matt Milano at the high end and Mack Wilson Sr. as a low-end comp. If asked to play a more traditional pass-rushing OLB role in a 3-4 defence, the team will have to live with a learning curve with Campbell as he will have to refine his pass-rushing tools to truly succeed in that role. For the Lions, he would be an instant starter at the SAM role if we do not bring back Barnes, and we utilise that role in our defence to the same extent we did early in the 2024 season. Campbell would also represent depth at the WILL position behind Anzalone as well, as this was where he was best used in college.
He is currently seen as the top off-ball linebacker prospect, with him ranking in the late first to early second on most boards. This is a ranking I agree with, which means he shouldn't be out of the conversation if we stay where we are in the first round, but I would be happier taking him if we traded down into the early second to get some picks on early Day 3.
ROTL Grading Scale: 78/100 (high second-round pick)
What do you think? Do you like what you've seen of Jihaad Campbell, and is he a fit for the Lions?
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look forward to your conclusions on these players/positions after the game today, ty
Thanks Ash, RE TE's - Just to reiterate what Riz said ,& its worth noting what the Lions want their TE3 /4 to do, and how many game reps they'll actually get . Parker Hesse has been taking most Reps in camp primairly as blocker ( & FB ). Mitchel hasn't performed BUT, can Block & has some ST value,& was a draft pick. Zylstra is the best receiver -,but can't block - heresey on this team. So.........bearing in what Campbell said about the WR room ie its about the best players , irrespective of position......how about.......Mitchel as TE4 , & Zylstra ( TE5 ) taking the place of of WR5 ?
Ash, thank you so much for doing these. You and the rest of the ROTL UK gang are fantastic!
Greetings, I was glad to listen to your interesting interview. The season went really well. I liked the quality of your broadcast, which application did you use for this? Is it on this list? I just want to do live broadcasts