For much of the season, the decision to draft Tyson Campbell in the second round looked like it may have been a bit questionable for the Jacksonville Jaguars. After trading C.J. Henderson to Carolina following Week 3, Campbell became a full-time starter on the outside, which came with a bit of a learning curve.
At one point, Campbell was the worst-graded cornerback in the NFL in pass coverage, but he’s seen an impressive turnaround in the second half of the season. He’s played much better over the last month, and he faced his toughest challenge on Sunday when he was the No. 1 corner in place of Shaquill Griffin, who was out with a concussion.
It resulted in the best game of his career.
He earned his first interception to go with three pass breakups, and that gave him the best grade among all defensive rookies in Week 12 with a 90.5 score, per Pro Football Focus.
Highest-graded rookie defenders in Week 12 pic.twitter.com/5JPYffOSRp
— PFF (@PFF) November 29, 2021
He had an elite 90.9 coverage grade, easily his best mark of the season, and he proved he can be a very strong option on the outside. Granted, the Falcons are without Calvin Ridley and their top outside receiver target is currently Russell Gage, but it was an impressive performance nonetheless.
The challenge this week in Los Angeles will be even tougher, though, especially if Griffin is unable to go again. Campbell likely won’t draw too many matchup with the NFL’s leading receiver, Cooper Kupp, who mostly plays in the slot, but he will have to face a talented pair of outside receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Van Jefferson.
Campbell is beginning to look like the player he was drafted to be. The Jaguars will hope that progress continues down the stretch in what appears to be a lost season.