Detroit Lions LB Jack Campbell is poised to make a Year 2 jump and is already carrying himself like “an 8-year vet.”
The Detroit Lions ’ 2023 draft class has been widely praised as one of the best in the league, but first-round Jack Campbell is often left out of the picture when praising Brad Holmes’ picks. It’s not that Campbell had a rookie bad season, per se, but his performance was a bit overshadowed by the emergence of third-year linebacker Derrick Barnes, who earned the starting role over Campbell to begin the season.
But if spring practices are any indication, Campbell is in the driver’s seat at the starting MIKE linebacker position for 2024, and he’s already assuming the role well.
“It’s hard to get a full tell, obviously, physically on the linebacker position during this time of year due to the physical nature that we play, especially here, but he’s exceeded my expectations which were already high,” linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said this week. “He’s come back further along than where I expected.”
With veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone absent for the voluntary portion of OTAs, it was on Campbell to act as the “green dot” linebacker, communicating the play call with every line of the defense and making any pre-snap adjustments needed. That’s where Sheppard has already seen the most growth with Campbell.
“I’m telling you it’s at another level,” Sheppard said. “This guy here’s operating like an eight-year vet as far as making the calls, how he sets the standard of how we practice as a defense, and I think other guys are starting to look towards him now.”
Don’t take that compliment lightly or as blind faith. Sheppard doesn’t mess around like that. He said something very similar about Malcolm Rodriguez two years ago before the sixth-round pick went on to win the starting job and have a solid rookie season.
Campbell credits his rookie season for a lot of that mental growth. Last year, the Lions moved him around a lot, playing the WILL, MIKE, and SAM positions. While that’s a lot to put on a rookie, and there were certainly some mistakes along the way, Campbell noted that it gave him a full scope of the defensive scheme.
“I was pushed some different ways to go play some different positions. I feel like that helped me a lot, just understanding what the front seven is doing,” Campbell said. “This year, just understanding what the back end is doing. Where’s my rotation? Where’s my help? Stuff like that. I still have a lot to improve on, but I feel like any time you can have time on task and have reps, it’s just going to help you.”
Sheppard believes Campbell’s growth is a result of more than just experience. You also have to be willing and active in the learning process, something that he believes Campbell has in spades.
“Jack is one of the most coachable players I’ve ever been around in my life — and I’m talking as a player or coaching,” Sheppard said. “I mean, you can literally tell him the sky is green right now, and he’ll say, ‘Yes sir.’ I’m like, ‘Jack, no, it’s not. Why’d you just say that?’ He’s just got that level of respect for authority and it’s just the way he lives his life, to be honest with you.
“So it makes it easier when you take guys in like that, as a coach trying to set standards, trying to show guys the way you do things. Taking a guy — first-round pick, a guy people already looked to because of the stature of the player he is, but it’s about the person that is that I’m able to coach him hard. ‘Hey, listen here, rook, if I talk to Jack like that, you better get your butt in line,’ kind of thing. So it’s good to have a guy like that along with the others setting an example for the room and the team.”
Also working in Campbell’s favor is an improved secondary behind him and a DJ Reader-sized force in front of him. With cornerbacks more capable of playing sticky, man coverage and a pair of defensive tackles who will swallow double teams whole, Campbell—and the entire linebacking crew—should be able to do their jobs more freely.
“(If) you gotta hang on double teams on those guys, who’s blocking us?” Sheppard said. “You know what I mean? So, it’s going to be a pleasure playing behind them.”