As a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Jack Campbell was the heart and soul of the defense and never backed down. That, paired with unanimous consensus All-American talent, is what made his time at Iowa so special and led to the Detroit Lions drafting him No. 18 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
While a starting role in the NFL is never guaranteed, Campbell’s resume in college and being a first-round selection offers him the opportunity to earn the starting job in his rookie season. Word out of the Lions’ training camp is that Campbell is showing what was expected and that has landed him in one of ESPN’s most intriguing position battles in the NFL.
Entering camp, linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard declared an open competition for the starting roles. No. 18 overall pick Jack Campbell joins Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez in the fight for the first-team spots. Campbell has looked like a starter so far, trying to help a defense that allowed 5.22 yards per carry in 2022 — third-worst in the league. – Eric Woodyard, ESPN
As Woodyard stated, the Lions were rather abysmal against the run last season. They were getting gashed and in an NFC North division often playing in cold weather, run defense is paramount.
Campbell led an Iowa defense in 2022 that allowed just 2.83 yards per rush and only four rushing touchdowns the entire season. He was arguably the main contributor as he chipped in 128 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, three pass deflections, and two interceptions.
His competition has some serious NFL pedigree. Alex Anzalone, entering his seventh NFL season, played in 17 games for the Lions last year contributing 125 total tackles. Derrick Barnes has been with the Lions for the last two years and has appeared in 32 games with 114 total tackles and three sacks. Malcolm Rodriguez played in 16 games for the Lions last year and added 87 tackles.
Jack Campbell simply needed the chance at Iowa and that same sentiment goes for him in the NFL. It isn’t a matter of if Jack Campbell starts at linebacker for the Detroit Lions, it is a matter of when.
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