Alabama ILB Jihaad Campbell.
Apparently, Jihaad Campbell’s injury does not faze a respected BSPN football analyst.
Field Yates follows and monitors the NFL and college football. As one can imagine, Fields is up to his eyeballs in pro day data litter and dumb mock drafts. And still the draft is over a month away. Help!
(There is absolutely no excuse for the NFL to drag out this draft process.)
Joe’s best inside linebacker in the draft, Jihaad Campbell, shocked _#NFLMedia_, _#DraftTwitter_ and the draft industrial complex when it was learned soon after the combine that Campbell had shoulder surgery.
It is unclear if Campbell suffered the injury at the combine or in the Outback Bowl against Michigan (Alabama officials claimed he had the dreaded “upper-body injury” in the Outback Bowl).
Recovery could take up to eight months. That ought to chase away some teams that might draft him ahead of the Bucs at No. 19.
For Yates, either he is not aware of Campbell’s injury or he doesn’t care about it. In a piece on BSPN, Fields still believes Campbell is [the perfect pick](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2025/insider/story/_/id/44293343/2025-nfl-draft-latest-buzz-rumors-news-prospects-risers-mocks-sanders-titans) for Tampa Bay.
> **…** Tampa Bay retained franchise icon Lavonte David for another year, and he’d be the ideal mentor for Campbell to learn from. Campbell — my No. 18 prospect — would also fill an important hole alongside David, giving the Bucs a legitimate three-down linebacker who checks every box required at the position. And few coaches love to dial up a blitz more than Todd Bowles, who would surely maximize Campbell’s underrated pass-rush skills (both as a blitzer and off the edge). Campbell finished last season with 112 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 12 run stops, 5 sacks and an interception.
Joe absolutely agrees with everything Fields typed here. However, there is a big “but” coming. That “but” is how long will Campbell be on the shelf due to his surgery. It will certainly stunt his ability to assimilate to NFL play.
The Bucs are looking to make a deep run into the playoffs. A Super Bowl isn’t a silly goal.
How can Campbell help them if he’s not ready? Sure, he could have fresh legs for the second half of the season and maybe dodge the rookie wall. But where will his head be?
This is a tough call for Joe. Inside linebacker is a major need for the Bucs and in a perfect world you want that rookie to play a full season alongside David.
Not an easy call.