Amid an egregious run of injuries across the Detroit Lions' defense last season, linebacker Jack Campbell stood out by playing every game. From Week 10 to the end of the season, including the playoffs (10 games), he played every defensive snap nine times.
Of course Campbell also performed very well last season, leading the team with 131 total tackles along with 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and five pass breakups. After struggling in coverage as a rookie in 2023, he notably improved there last season; as reflected by the eye test and a marked improvement in his coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.
Campbell had a Year 2 breakout like many players have, and he has established himself as a core player for the Lions moving forward. But is there a path to even better in 2025?
Fantasy analyst sees clear path for Jack Campbell to have fuller-fledged breakout in 2025
In fantasy football, IDP leagues of course, Campbell finished as the LB28 last season. But Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus is very bullish on him being capable of more this year.
"After nearly two full seasons of playing second fiddle to Alex Anzalone, Campbell’s larger role appears to finally be unlocked. His snap count began to grow last season, as Campbell went played at least 90% of the team’s defensive snaps for four straight games, which was by far the best stretch of playing time in his career. When Anzalone got hurt in Week 11, Campbell played every single defensive snap for the Lions from that point until the end of their season, including the playoffs. This included two games (Week 18, divisional round) with Anzalone back in the lineup, as the team seemingly reached the point of no return with Campbell as a full-time player."
"Campbell delivered top-20 PFF grades for his position in coverage (72.2), run defense (81.5) and overall (77.4) – all of which were an upgrade over Anzalone last year and any year of Anzalone’s career. Considering the investment in Campbell has appeared to pay off in addition to him taking over as the team’s LB1 last year, more of the same should be expected for 2025 – this time across an entire season."
"This is something that IDP managers should be excited about, as Campbell offers significantly more potential as a tackler than Anzalone as well, as he finished 92nd percentile in tackles versus expected as a rookie (+6.1), and 95th percentile (+11.2) in that regard in 2024. Campbell’s high-end tackling ability attached to a full-time role should have him in overall LB1 contention this season."
The thing that stands to hurt Campbell's fantasy production is a relative lack of splashy plays (sacks, interceptions, etc.). But that's nitpicking in an overall sense, and on the strength of a huge role from start to finish Campbell seems to have another level he can reach this year.
