Though Urban Meyer has said the team’s second-round pick could see action at nickel, Darius Butler thinks that would be a mistake.
Jacksonville had many directions it could have gone with the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. With safety Trevon Moehrig, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and offensive tackle Teven Jenkins all falling out of the first round, the Jaguars could have selected any one of them with that pick.
Instead, the team made a move that came as a bit of a surprise (especially to national analysts) in drafting Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell. It’s a position the team has invested heavily in over the last two years, drafting C.J. Henderson in the top 10 last year and giving Shaquill Griffin a three-year contract that guarantees $29 million this offseason.
But on the “Cris Collinsworth Podcast,” coach Urban Meyer said that Campbell’s versatility (he also played safety in high school) was the driving factor leading to his selection. Asked if it was an “insurance policy” for Henderson, Meyer said that Campbell’s ability to play nickel makes him more than that.
“It is, but no — I wouldn’t say ‘insurance policy,'” Meyer said, according to transcription from 247Sports. “It’s an ‘insurance policy,’ the fact that guys get dinged up at that position. Last year was a tough year for us. We had a lot of injuries back there. But it’s also — the thing Tyson Campbell gives us is flexibility, something other than (cornerback). He was a safety in high school and he’s a very physical player, great blitzer. Those are all the qualities of a nickel.
“I love the guy,” Meyer said, according to Pro Football Focus on Twitter. “We’re going to dual teach him out of the gate at corner and nickel.”
Though his athletic profile may allow him to play both inside and outside, Campbell played on the perimeter in college (though Georgia cross-trains players in practice), and most analysts projected that’s where he would play in the pros. Former NFL defensive back Darius Butler, who played nine seasons in the league for the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts, said on Twitter that playing Campbell at nickel would be a mistake.
“BIG MISTAKE! Put him outside and let him figure that out first,” he said. “They do have a “Nickel” Coach on the staff but still a big mistake IMO.”
It’s easy to see where Butler is coming from. Adjusting to the speed of the professional level and stylistic differences in the passing game is hard enough for defensive backs playing at their most natural position. But it sounds like Meyer and the staff want him to play at a position he didn’t even play much of in college — and likely sooner rather than later.
The Jags still have considerable depth issues in the secondary, and they wouldn’t have invested the first pick in the second round in Campbell if they didn’t think he’d be a major contributor in Year 1. But Butler, who played most of his career at cornerback and moved to safety his final season, knows how difficult a position change can be in the NFL. If Campbell is going to be a successful nickelback, his work is cut out for him.
