It’s almost too hard to believe: the Green Bay Packers have the NFL’s highest-graded inside linebacker at Pro Football Focus after six weeks.
De’Vondre Campbell, with an overall grade of 84.7, is the top off-ball linebacker at PFF entering Week 7.
His numbers in all aspects of playing the position are terrific. Over 363 snaps, Campbell has produced 19 total stops (fifth-most among linebackers), missed only 3.7 percent of his tackle attempts (fifth-best) and allowed only 5.5 yards per reception into his coverage (fourth-best).
His work in coverage has been excellent. He has two interceptions, but he’s also been elite at limiting production. Quarterbacks have targeted him 33 times in coverage but produced just 126 passing yards. which equates to roughly 3.8 yards per target. And he hasn’t allowed a completion over 11 yards against his coverage.
Overall, Campbell has the third-best coverage grade and third-best run defense grade among inside linebackers this season.
Inside linebacker has been a position of annual disappointment in Green Bay for the better part of two decades. Efforts to fix the position – typically with mid-round draft picks and cheap veterans – have mostly failed.
But general manager Brian Gutekunst appears to have hit a home run with Campbell, who signed a one-year deal worth only $2 million with the Packers in June.
A six-game sample size is obviously small, and things could change over the final 11 games of the 2021 season, but the Packers must be thrilled with the return on investment with Campbell so far. He’s provided the three-down linebacker missing from the Packers defense for years and years.
In a season of surprises, Campbell’s transformation from journeyman linebacker to elite playmaker has to rank near the top.
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