Tag: First Round Surprise

2023 NFL draft film review: Jack Campbell can become the face of the Lions defense

Lions Wire’s Russell Brown break down the Iowa game film of first-round LB Jack Campbell

There could be a chance that Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell and Detroit Dan Campbell are related somewhere along the line. If so, that would explain why the Detroit Lions shocked everyone and selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that I love the on-the-field play from Jack Campbell to the background research I gathered on him. For starters, he loves to hunt and I think he’ll find himself a nice spot up north (past the Zilwaukee Bridge) during deer season. Meanwhile, he was a heck of a high school basketball player. As a forward, he would get physical against anyone that entered the paint and most people at Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa believed he could play college hoops.

On the field, he’s a terrific leader and it shows with how he communicates on every single snap. It’s evident that he was the leader of that Iowa defense. As for his play, he can change direction at ease and always displays good technique. But there are times that Campbell needs to fix his pursuit angles to the football when scraping over the top or he will get juked. Michigan running back Blake Corum did it to him during their meeting in 2021.

Those plays can happen — the key is that they don’t happen on a consistent basis. Let’s jump into some film on Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell to see how he fits the Detroit Lions!

Backside fill, squeeze and bend 

We all know that a successful team is when all 11 players on offense and defense consistently do their job. Obviously, there will be times when it doesn’t happen and there’s a mishap on offense or defense. For Jack Campbell, he consistently displays good technique on tape and the knack for getting to the football. In fact, he was so good that this past season he won the Butkus Award in 2022 as the nation’s top linebacker.

Looking at the game against Ohio State, Jack Campbell had one of his best games of the season. He had 6 tackles, two pressures and an interceptions while earning a 91.5 defensive grade (per PFF) for his highest grade of the season.

Watching the play above, you’ll see Campbell align in a 10 (between the guard and center) as the MIKE linebacker. With an outside zone run designed by the Buckeyes, the Iowa defense does a great job play side to force the running back to stop and change his direction. In the process, Campbell fills the backside cut-back lane while squeezing down and then bending to the football. This leads to him making one of his six tackles.

Always on a mission when attacking downhill 

As I continued to watch Jack Campbell, I loved the way he attacked downhill. Over the last two seasons, he’s compiled 265 total tackles, four interceptions and seven pass deflection. He’s been a consistent threat in the box and uses his strength and size to his advantage.

Watching the play above, Campbell slides with the pre-snap motion but despite moving him one gap over, that doesn’t slow him down. He reads the reach blocks developing in front of him and then flies upfield to make the tackle. With how disruptive the Lions defensive line is starting to become, it’s obvious that the Lions feel like Campbell can feast in the middle of their defense.

At the Scouting Combine, Campbell checked in at 6-foot-5 and 249 pounds. He had an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.65 seconds and he ran the 3-cone drill in 6.74 seconds. His change of direction ability is impressive and his 92.9 coverage grade (per PFF) was higher than any linebacker in the class.

Overall Thoughts 

One thing is for sure — nobody knows what the Detroit Lions are thinking. Either we’re playing checkers and they’re playing chess or the other way around. Regardless, I was told by the fan base that the Lions don’t value linebackers high but they just took one in the first round.

Certainly, we reached on both players in the first round but we don’t know where these players were valued on any other team’s boards other than the Lions. For Campbell, there will be pressure on him to be an impact player quickly in his career. He’ll need to become more polished with how he maintains his ground when shedding blocks but by playing along Malcolm Rodriguez and Alex Anzalone should help with that.

That said, we just have to trust the process.

Taking Campbell after giving Alex Anzalone a three-year contract is a tough pill to swallow but the Lions can easily get out of Anzalone’s contract after the 2024 season. One thing we have going for us as a fan base is that the Lions seem to have struck gold by selecting Malcolm Rodriguez in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Maybe the Lions did it again with Jack Campbell in the 1st round of the 2023 NFL Draft?

Time will tell.

2023 NFL draft film review: Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs fits Detroit

2023 NFL draft film review: Breaking down Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs fits the Detroit Lions

I’ve been saying for months that Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift is on the outskirts of the roster. After running backs coach Deuce Staley left for Carolina, moving on from Swift was inevitable. The reason being — it felt like Staley was the one pushing for Swift to be in Detroit and for him to be the best version of himself.

Unfortunately, Swift has struggled to stay healthy with the Lions. From a banged-up shoulder to ankle injuries, it felt like there was frustration building. Then, it would continue on the field. There were times on tape when Swift would have an opening and rather than make the correct cut upfield, he would bounce to the sidelines.

It’s clear after the first round 2023 NFL Draft that the Lions are trying to fix that problem. Despite signing running back David Montgomery to a three-year contract worth $18 million dollars, the Lions have potentially found the perfect compliment to Montgomery.

By selecting Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions have a new vision for their backfield. One that has been completely designed by Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. It’ll be interesting to see what the Lions get for Swift as it feels like he’s damaged goods. It won’t be the same return as they got for Hockenson, but they should get some draft capital for next year.

One can hope.

With that, we can only hope that the Lions didn’t reach for Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick. Sure, the Lions have 3 picks in the second round tonight for the 2023 NFL draft, but they’ll need Gibbs to stay healthy and most importantly, produce on a consistent basis. Let’s jump into the tape to see how Jahmyr Gibbs fits the Detroit Lions after the first-round 2023 NFL Draft!

Twitch and burst 

One of the strongest parts of Jahmyr Gibbs’ game is the twitch and burst to his game. He shakes defenders in space but has the desired burst to hit an opening and take it the distance. It shows consistently on tape. At the Scouting Combine, Gibbs checked in at 5-foot-9 and 199 pounds while running the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds.

Watching the play above, you’ll see Alabama run a split-zone variation against Mississippi State. Once the ball is given to Gibbs, you’ll see a slight hesitation as his blocks develop but once the blocks are sustained, watch the burst through the hole and acceleration in the open field.

This burst and acceleration forces defenders to redirect their angles and pursuit to the football. Which, at times, doesn’t always work for them. Throughout his career (Georgia Tech and Alabama), Gibbs had 225 carries out of a zone-blocking scheme (per PFF).

Vision and Cutting Ability 

Like I mentioned with Swift, there was always some hesitation when the ball was in his hands. When he would trust his vision and speed, it was a thing of beauty, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t consistent enough. For Gibbs, it looks to be more consistent on tape.

On the play above, it’s another zone run from Alabama and Gibbs has the option to bounce the run outside or cut back inside. He sees the opening, hits it and quickly gets to the open field to sprint down the field. Last season, Gibbs had 23 carries of 10+ yards or more. For the sake of Lions fans out there, we can only hope that these types of runs continue in the NFL.

Cutting with contact balance

It’s not every day that we come across a running back that can make an impressive cut and still shake off a tackle from the opposition. Oftentimes, we’ll see the cut, and then the running back will get tripped up or lose his footing. With Gibbs, that doesn’t look to be the case.

Watching the play above against Tennessee, you’ll watch Gibbs read a defensive back attack downhill. In the process, he cuts towards the sideline and shakes off the attempted tackle from the defender. With a great block on the perimeter, Gibbs has free reign to jog his way to the end zone. For 2022, Gibbs averaged 3.32 yards after contact. During his three-year college career, he averaged 3.51 yards after contact.

Overall fit and projection

As I mentioned, it was inevitable that D’Andre Swift was on the outside looking in with the Lions. He wasn’t drafted by the current regime, and he never became the player that Detroit needed him to be. If the Lions are going to trade him, two teams worth monitoring is the Philadelphia Eagles. I think he’d be a perfect fit with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. Also, with Staley in Carolina, I could see that also being a fit.

So as we move onto the reaction of the pick, it’s certainly a reach with how high the Detroit Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs in the 2023 NFL Draft. Especially since they could have selected Bijan Robinson with the 6th overall pick. This reminds me of when they took Swift in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft rather than Jonathan Taylor. But as we know, certain teams stay true to their board and Detroit is clearly one of those teams.

Selecting Gibbs with the 12th overall pick puts an immense amount of pressure on him before he even steps onto an NFL field. In addition to that pressure, he’s got to find a way to fill the shoes of “what could have been” of D’Andre Swift. He’ll get labeled as the “next Swift” or just be compared to him and to be honest; it’s not really fair.

We have to let Gibbs be Gibbs.

After watching the tape of Jahmyr Gibbs, it’s evident that there’s first-round talent in how he runs and catches the football. During the 2022 season, he caught 44 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, he’ll provide alignment versatility with how he can move all around the field.

Per PFF, Gibbs took 352 snaps out of the backfield while aligning in the slot 39 times and out wide 43 times. It’s also worth noting that he provides special teams ability with 49 snaps on punt and kick returns (13 kick returns for 258 yards in 2022).

On my board for the 2023 NFL Draft, Gibbs was ranked 26th and earned a second-round grade. On Twitter, Dane Brugler mentioned that the New York Jets were being linked to taking the Alabama running back with the 15th overall pick. Maybe that’s why Brad Holmes intended to select him so early. Regardless, the pick is in, and we all have to live with it.

Gibbs will provide versatility out of the backfield and should be a weapon as a pass-catcher. Add in his speed, which is faster than D’Andre Swift and it becomes very interesting. Overall, I like the fit here in Detroit regardless of where he was selected. Pairing him up with the Amon Ra-St. Brown, Jameson Williams and David Montgomery should make for interesting formations and personnel from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

While the Lions run game is diverse between gap and zone runs, there’s reason to believe that Gibbs can provide a much-needed difference in the Lions’ backfield.