(Photo: 247Sports)
With the calendar officially turning to April, the 2025 NFL Draft is just a few weeks away. For the Chicago Bears, draft weekend will represent a significant opportunity to put the finishing touches on a roster that general manager Ryan Poles has spent the last four offseasons building.
As the Bears get fully immersed in the Ben Johnson era, one of the key questions on defense will be how the front office acquires talent for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. While linebacker isn't the most pressing need for the Bears, the 2025 draft does represent an opportunity for the Bears to add to the position. Veteran T.J. Edwards is going into the last year of a three-year deal that he signed in 2023. In 2026, the franchise could also move on from veteran Tremaine Edmunds and save $15M in cap space.
Chicago could very easily decide that drafting a player this year to eventually be Edmunds replacement is a route that the front office chooses to go. One of the most intriguing names who fits what Allen wants to do on defense is Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who has been labeled by many to be the top linebacker prospect in recent memory.
Let's get into our scouting report on Campbell.
Jihaad Campbell, Alabama, (6-foot-3, 235 pounds)
From his NFL.com draft profile via Lance Zierlein:
"**Campbell* has the build and traits of an Alabama linebacker but might need to upgrade in some areas. He doesn't play with early instincts or play recognition and is inconsistent in challenging blockers and leveraging his run fits. Campbell uses his speed and athleticism to help mitigate mistakes and get to the football at a relatively high rate. He's a rangy, consistent open-field tackler who excels on third downs as a fluid blitzer and impressive cover talent. The elite traits and athletic talent will be tantalizing, but the best way to utilize him might be as a full-time 3-4 rush linebacker, where he can play more proactively instead of reactively as an off-ball linebacker."*
Film:
Strengths:
- Has the sideline-to-sideline speed that will allow him to thrive in today's NFL.
- Possesses the ability to mirror the ballcarrier in the open field.
- Tackling ability really popped up on tape in 2024.
- Reads and reacts without hesitation on run and pass plays.
- Versatility will allow him to line up anywhere on the field.
- Tries to maintain a physical, downhill presence as a run defender.
- Will drop back into pass coverage and easily understand the routes the wide receivers are running.
Weaknesses:
- Can struggle to shed blocks at times.
- Gets slowed down when rushing by bigger, more physical offensive linemen.
- Needs to clean up his tackling technique as a run defender.
- Playing with lower pad level will allow him to become a more effective defender.
Final Thoughts:
Watching Campbell's film, it's easy to see a player who will eventually blossom into one of the league's top linebackers. He does have some cleaning up to do in terms of his pad level and ability to shed blocks but for a team like the Bears, it's going to be hard to ignore his sideline-to-sideline speed and ability to be a physical presence in the middle of a defense.
The tough part about projecting Campbell to the Bears is figuring out where he'd be selected. He isn't a top-10 pick but if he falls to the second round, he should be a player the Bears could covet. Chicago could also view him as being a first-round talent and trade down from No. 10 overall and potentially select him in the middle part of round one, shoring up the defense in the process.
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