Hogs Haven takes a look at 2023 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders
Jack Campbell, LB
School: Iowa | Conference: Big Ten
College Experience: Senior | Age: 22
Height / Weight: 6’5” / 249 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 2nd-3rd Round
Player Comparison: Leighton Vander Esch
College Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2019 | Iowa | Big Ten | FR | LB | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2020 | Cincinnati | American | FR | TE | |||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Iowa | Big Ten | SO | LB | 5 | 21 | 8 | 29 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | ||
| *2021 | Iowa | Big Ten | JR | LB | 14 | 57 | 83 | 140 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 33 | 16.5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| *2022 | Iowa | Big Ten | SR | LB | 13 | 59 | 66 | 125 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 30 | 15.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | Overall | 139 | 160 | 299 | 12.5 | 3.0 | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Iowa | 139 | 160 | 299 | 12.5 | 3.0 | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Cincinnati | |||||||||||||||||||
Player Overview
Jack Campbell excelled at several sports in high school. On top of being one of the best football players in Iowa, he also lettered in basketball and track. Campbell turned a productive high school career into an offer from Iowa. He did not see the field much his freshman season in 2019. In 2020, he played in five games but was incredibly productive in those contests. That carried over into 2021 when he put up over 100 tackles for the first time. It wouldn’t be the last as he put up over 100 tackles again in 2022. In his final season, he earned the Butkus Award for the nation’s best linebacker, the William V. Campbell Trophy for the nation’s best scholar-athlete, and All-American honors.
Strengths
- Big, physical presence in the middle of the field
- Instincts help him get to the ball quickly
- Understands his run fits and plays with discipline
- Solid tackler when he can square up on ball carriers
- Good recognition in zone coverage
- Shows a lot of hustle and effort
Weaknesses
- Does not possess sideline-to-sideline speed
- Would like to see him fight harder to get off blocks
- Question whether he can cover faster TEs and RBs
- Despite great stats, quite a few missed tackles
Let’s see his work
Potential #Cowboys draft pick Iowa LB Jack Campbell, speaking at the combine about his time in college football. #NFL
( : @nflnetwork) pic.twitter.com/IZzSyaFGVP— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) March 12, 2023
So, obviously it was a good day from Jack Campbell. Top tier #RAS regardless of how he benches or how that final split comes out. pic.twitter.com/krTDH6KFg3
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 3, 2023
How he fits on the Commanders
It’s easy to root for a guy like Jack Campbell. He plays hard and is incredibly productive. There are few doubts that he’ll improve the linebacker room wherever he goes. His instincts and zone coverage ability makes him a good fit to play for the Commanders. But, based on Davis and the signing of Cody Barton, it looks like the team is emphasizing speed at linebacker, and Campbell doesn’t have that. Couple that with the likelihood he’ll be a Day 2 pick and I find it hard to see Campbell becoming a Commander. If he somehow falls to Day 3, it would be hard to pass on his production and potential.
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