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By now, we all know that the Detroit Lions surprised plenty of people with the players they drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. First, they traded down to the 12th overall pick for Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Then with the 18th overall pick, they stayed at that spot and selected Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell.
No doubt about it, there was plenty of shock value with each pick.
However, it’s starting to be revealed that the teams across the NFL were much higher on both Gibbs and Campbell. Over the last several days, teams have been revealing video from inside their war rooms from the opening night of the draft. Recently, there’s been one that has caught all of our attention.
Inside the #Bucs Draft Room: The team had two guys left that they wanted to Draft at 19 while the #Lions were picking at 18.
LB Jack Campbell, and their top priority, DT Calijah Kancey.
The group was nervous but got their guy. It also shows the Lions didn't overdraft… pic.twitter.com/OQ9GobO41h
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 17, 2023
In the video above, you can hear some of the words exchanged between Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles. Bowles starts by saying “that Iowa linebacker is a Dan Campbell kinda guy.”
Afterward, Bowles follows up by saying “we had two guys that we really liked, with Kancey being one of them. We had a shot either way and when Detroit went the other way with a linebacker, we went with Kancey.”
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Jason Licht then followed Bowles in the interview by saying, “we had three players that we like in this order and they started getting selected. Now, Calijah was at the top of that list.”
Reading through the comments of both Licht and Bowles, it was evident that they really wanted Calijah Kancey. Obviously, the Buccaneers ended up with him and they seem thrilled about it. However, I could see a scenario where a team such as the Buccaneers could have valued players such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian Gonzalez or even Jack Campbell. Watching that video, it does feel like there was certainly some interest from the Buccaneers on Jack Campbell and what he could provide for the Bucs defense.
Looking back on it now, it does feel like the NFL was much higher on both Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell. Do you still like the Detroit Lions first round picks of the 2023 NFL Draft?