“Campbell was the biggest steal of the draft,” [Ross writes of the Eagles’ first-round pick](https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-ten-rookies-in-the-best-situations-to-succeed-in-year-1-and-beyond). “A top 10-caliber talent, he was still available late in the first round after undergoing shoulder injury in the spring. The Alabama product joins an already dynamic Eagles defense that just stomped the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, and he’ll have a chance start immediately in place of Nakobe Dean, who sustained a knee injury in mid-January.
“Starring as an off-ball linebacker and pass rusher in his final season with the Crimson Tide, Campbell is a player that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can utilize in multiple roles, much like Fangio did with Zack Baun last season. Campbell won’t face the pressure of having to be _the guy_ with so many talented players around him. Fangio has a history of working with dynamic linebackers (SEE: Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman), and Campbell, who has greater upside than even Baun, is the newest member of the club.”
Nov 23, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Jihaad Campbell (11) ready for the play during the third quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Last season in Tuscaloosa, Campbell had one of the best missed tackle rates in the nation, at just 5.9 percent, while posting a career-high 117 tackles, five sacks, and 12 tackles for loss, which could foreshadow the kind of production he could be capable of playing in the middle of a loaded defense.
Pairing Campbell alongside Baun, and as a short-term insurance policy on Dean’s availability is a masterstroke from Roseman, and the former Alabama standout has the potential to make an instant and significant impact on coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.