Lions general manager Brad Holmes is very excited about his team’s draft haul in 2023. Holmes was almost giddy when talking about linebacker Jack Campbell, who joined the Lions as the No. 18 overall pick out of Iowa.
In a recent interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains” program, Holmes was palpably excited when hosts Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller asked him about the team’s draft philosophy.
“We’re trying to get football players,” Holmes told the hosts. “If you start just sticking to height, weight, speed and all this stuff and what position they play, no — who is the best football player?”
Holmes said this in the context of being asked about Campbell. The GM indicated he was surprised by how big Campbell was in person after just watching him on tape.
“I didn’t know how truly big he was when I started looking at him on film in the fall,” Holmes admitted. “You see a big guy that can stack and shed, and you find out, ‘Oh he’s big; he’s a tackle-to-tackle guy’. Okay, I’ve seen these guys before. But the more you look at (Campbell) in coverage and third-down stuff, and you see that he’s the highest-rated coverage linebacker.
Then you look at the athleticism and it’s like, okay, alright. I’m trying to search for the deficiencies of where he can’t get from A to B, and the range, and the spot-drop (in coverage), the change of direction and the quickness. That’s when it really became evident that, whoa, this guy is a complete guy.”
Holmes wasn’t done waxing poetic about his new, versatile linebacker.
“His football intelligence and his passion for the game — it is as good as it gets. It’s elite in every category.”
Holmes brought up the concept of Campbell being a “green dot” player early in his career, someone smart enough to be the defensive play-caller and leader on the field.
The glowing praise helps explain why the Lions broke from their established character and valued the off-ball linebacker spot so highly. They strongly feel Campbell is worthy of the exception.
