It’s odd that when mock drafts had Iowa LB Jack Campbell slotted to go to the Dallas Cowboys with the 26th overall pick or 27th overall pick, it was perfectly fine. But when the Lions took him at 18th overall, they got ridiculed for the selection.
Throughout the process, I think people forget that there was a wide range of draft analysts and scouts that predicted Campbell to be the first linebacker selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
No question about it, there was plenty of surprise when the Detroit Lions took Campbell with the 18th overall pick. However, since the pick, the Lions have made it clear that “they don’t draft scared.” It’s a clear sign that they stay true to their board and the values within their current regime.
Those values reflect on high character players that love the game of football. From film study to figuring out the schematics of the opposition. They want players that live and breathe the game. That’s exactly who Jack Campbell is and what he’ll provide for Detroit.
As we begin to put the 2023 NFL Draft in our rearview mirrors, the Detroit Lions staff has been answering plenty of questions about their draft picks. With each player, there’s interesting tidbits of information. With Jack Campbell, there’s been a ton of praise on his leadership, his skill-set and what he’s going to provide for the Lions.
The first quote that really caught my eye was from the Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard. When asked on the ceiling for the size of an athlete like Lions LB Jack Campbell: “…To answer I know you and the previous one I spoke on, he is a Detroit guy. Like he is a (Lions Head Coach) Dan Campbell guy, he is a culture fit immediately. He was a captain, I actually was just joking with him on the phone, (Green Bay Packers DE) Lukas Van Ness we had on the top 30, and I thought that he talked more about Jack on his visit than he did about himself. That resonated with us because that’s a guy that just went top 15 tonight as well, that spoke glowingly about this player as a leader and the things he brought to their team.”
Linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard was also asked on his impressions of Lions first-round (18th overall) draft selection LB Jack Campbell from the Combine and the Draft process: “Well, obviously as a positional coach I do tons of these interviews with guys. I do informal, formal, Zoom, all different variations of interviews and there’s a couple guys during this process that kind of stuck with me like, ‘Oh, wow,’ And Jack was at the top of that list. Like when he left out of the room me, (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell), (Lions Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG, looked each other and was like, ‘Damn that’s going to be hard to top right there,’ Because it was just exceptional. His knowledge of the game speaks for itself. It shows on the tape. But it’s the passion that I don’t know if people are quite ready for. He was literally just crying in tears. I’m still fired up about it. Just fired up for the opportunity to coach a player of that caliber.”
After the first round was over, Lions GM Brad Holmes was asked about both of his first round picks. During that, he was asked on if they took any calls about the No. 18th-overall pick: “No. We didn’t get much action at 18, we just kind of stayed. But I would say we didn’t really even think about getting out either. As soon as we saw what kind of the grade we had on (Lions LB) Jack (Campbell) – I was more excited just to actually get the guy at 18. Yeah, we could’ve got cute and tried to trade back and all this stuff, but no. There was a different level that was going to start after you pass on him. We just felt really, really good about it. It was really kind of a no-brainer really. Had a good feel that he would’ve been there, but we just didn’t want to mess around.”
Lastly, here’s what Jack Campbell had to say On his takeaway from his meeting with the Lions at the Combine: “What I took from it was, ‘Man, those guys are all about football and performing at the highest level,’ and that’s something that I love. I kind of just stepped foot in there and talked X’s and O’s, but also, they asked about me as a human being, my family, the people who are around me, Iowa. And man, I’m so appreciative to be able to represent Iowa moving forward, but at the same time, I’m so excited to get into Detroit, where I know it’s only about football and football is the only thing that matters. I’m going to go in there and just try to learn from the veterans and learn from this coaching staff and let’s get Detroit where they belong.”
