College Career
Senior linebacker Jack Campbell played his college ball at Iowa for the Hawkeyes. As a senior, Campbell played 13 games and racked up 59 solo tackles along with 125 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 interceptions.
He has great size, standing at 6’ 5” and weighing 243 lbs, but he also has good speed for his size as he ran a 4.65 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL combine.
Campbell is good in both run and pass defense. He showed good closing speed on run plays and patience on pass plays. “Captain Jack” was a leader in the middle of the Hawkeyes defense and has a tremendous football IQ.
Throughout his college career, he posted 299 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 10 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, 5 interceptions and 1 touchdown.
Jack Campbell out of Iowa can do it all from stuffing the run inside and negating the pass.
— Daniel Adams (@imdjadams) April 13, 2023
Campbell is a unit at the linebacker position standing at 6’ 5” and weighing 246 lbs. He’s a big consideration for the #Bills at pick 27. #NFL #NFLTwitter @BuiltInBuffalo_ pic.twitter.com/s580kYRj2y
What Jack Campbell could bring to Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills have just recently lost starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to free agency and are now searching for a new linebacker to start alongside Matt Milano. The Bills haven’t made any moves to get a linebacker in terms of free agency. They have only re-signed a couple depth linebackers in Tyrel Dodson and AJ Klein. Campbell could bring great leadership in the middle of the field even as a rookie. Campbell would be great alongside Matt Milano, as they both track down the football well and bring a hard-hitting mentality.
Odds via @DraftKings for the Bills first selection in the draft pic.twitter.com/2yDTa9kYla
— Built in Buffalo (@BuiltInBuffalo_) April 3, 2023
Strengths
Jack Campbell is very versatile and can play almost anywhere on the defensive side of the ball. He is comfortable playing in a zone and is good in pass coverage, staying calm and poised when the football comes his way. He has a good reaction to misdirection and can handle screens very well. Campbell is also a good blitzer and uses his speed to get in the backfield and disrupt plays before they can develop.
Weaknesses
Campbell tends to get caught up in blocks, much like Edmunds did at times. Campbell also isn’t the best in man-to-man coverage and may get beat by tight ends and running backs. He is more suited to play in a zone and use his football instincts to make plays.
Draft Projection
Campbell is projected as an early day two pick, but he may be too hard for the Bills to pass up at the end of the first round because they have a glaring need in the middle of their defense.
