Most of the time it is almost a certainty that a unanimous consensus All-American is going to hear their name called in the first round of the NFL draft. For some reason, be it the trend of the modern NFL or a myriad of different reasons, Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Jack Campbell isn’t locked in yet. And to be honest, his skillset and talent should have him much higher than he is on draft boards.
It doesn’t appear that the Iowa faithful are the only ones with this belief, either. Jack Campbell has found himself among a select group of draft prospects that Pro Football Focus believes could sneak into the first round of the 2023 NFL draft and be a surprise pick.
The linebacker class is all over the place this year – some are very intrigued by it while others are much more hesitant. There just aren’t many true off-ball linebackers that have years of starting experience, but Campbell is one of those players. He finished 2022 with an elite 91.9 overall grade and then tested very well at the combine with 80th- and 90th-percentile results in the vertical jump, broad jump and three-cone drill. He has a true linebacker background, playing the position since his early high school days. He has two years of starting experience in the middle of the Hawkeyes’ defense and could be a contributing player in Year 1. Playoff teams that need linebacker help at the end of Round 1 (perhaps the Buffalo Bills) could be in on Campbell. – Sikkema, PFF
As my colleague Jacob Keppen analyzed, Campbell checks all of the boxes in what a team should want as their starting middle linebacker for the next decade. He has that stat sheet from Iowa to prove his success and he has consistently graded out among the best at his position.
Pair that proof with his NFL Combine test results and you have a mix that is more than worthy of being a first round pick when the draft rolls around. With the NFL draft officially less than two weeks away, the smoke screens will be in full effect and teams will hide who they truly want, but through it all, don’t be shocked if one of Iowa’s favorite sons finds out his new home during the first round.
[mm-video type=video id=01gxrc7ggczryts11dgz playlist_id=01fvdcxf97xrgg1awc player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxrc7ggczryts11dgz/01gxrc7ggczryts11dgz-d6c407a99b8208fce9819a23613f4882.jpg]
[lawrence-auto-related count=5]
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7