The Detroit Lions have valued overall talent as their top priority when making picks early in the NFL Draft under general manager Brad Holmes.
Regardless of position, the team has targeted players with high levels of football IQ and overall ability, as opposed to drafting to fill a specific need. The results have been solid through the first four years of Holmes' tenure, as the team has added several Pro Bowl and All-Pro talents.
Though the linebacker position returns a pair of top contributors in 2025, there are intriguing options that could be available with the team's 28th overall selection in April's draft. The best of the group may be Alabama's Jihaad Campbell.
Detroit has drafted several Alabama players throughout Holmes' tenure, with players such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Brian Branch and Terrion Arnold all sharing the same alma mater. Now, Campbell could be the next addition.
A versatile linebacker, Campbell feels confident about how his play style will translate to the NFL level.
"I feel like I'm Mr. Can-do-it-all. I'm a Swiss Army Knife," Campbell said at the NFL Combine. "I can blitz through the A-gap, I can come off the edge. I can play middle run or Tampa 2. I can drop, strong hook, hook curl, whatever you want me to do. I can play man-to-man on the receiver, tight end, running back, anything."
The metrics back up Campbell's points, as he was exceptional in many areas for the Crimson Tide defense. Pro Football Focus assigned him an 81.6 overall defensive grade, a 81.0 run defense grade, a 76.3 pass rush grade and an 80.1 coverage grade.
Of all the elements of his game, Campbell told reporters Wednesday that his favorite is playing in coverage. This aspect of the game allows him to showcase his athleticism, as he fluidly flips his hips to hustle into his drop zones.
“This might sound a little different, but I love to show my versatility when I’m in coverage playing Tampa 2, middle running," Campbell said. "They think a big guy like me can’t cover the guys going down the field vertically, so that’s one of my biggest things, and obviously rushing the passer for sure.”
— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) February 22, 2025Jihaad Campbell | LB | ALA
Fantastic size + speed + agility. Coverage traits are there w/ eyes & feel in zone, elite acceleration to click+close, & fluidity to change directions. Has the size & power to stack n shed blocks coming downhill. True pass rush ability on 3rd down pic.twitter.com/mf8cxBiY5f
Campbell recorded 20 pressures in 2024 and had a miniscule 5.9 missed tackle percentage. This sure tackling ability and knack for finding angles to blitz bode well for his ability to succeed at the NFL level.
Detroit will likely lean on the tandem of Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell in the middle of the defense, with Malcolm Rodriguez having the ability to contribute in certain packages. However, a big decision looms with Derrick Barnes set to hit free agency.
If Barnes departs, he'll leave a void at the SAM linebacker position. It is one of the more complex assignments for Detroit's defense given the different things that are asked of the player at that spot.
Campbell's efforts on tape suggest that he can develop into a solid player at the position, and would be a nice fit for Detroit to fill that potential void. He could wind up going earlier in the draft because of his versatility, but there's plenty to like about the way he could slide into Kelvin Sheppard's defensive scheme.
