American Football

Is Jack Campbell the Answer in the Middle of the Commanders’ Defense

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Joseph Cress / USA TODAY NETWORK

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

Defense & Fumbles Table
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
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 3/13/2023.

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

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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