Eagles Film Review: Jihaad Campbell has the chance to be one of the best linebackers in the NFL

With the 2025 NFL Draft over, it’s time for some film rooms on the Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie class. I will try to get to all 10 draft picks and the UDFAs over the next few weeks. Loads of scouting reports will say very similar things, so I have tried to include film clips to back up everything and I will talk about the player’s fit with the Eagles at the end of the piece. I managed to get the All22 for several rookies, but I can’t share those clips on my Twitter accounts (or I risk getting blocked), so I’ve used a few other accounts here. Let’s go!

You can check out my podcast feed here to hear more from me. If you want to support me further, I have a Patreon linked to my podcast and I will be doing video breakdowns of all the draft picks over the next month.

Strengths

+ He can FLY around the field When he trusts his eyes and sees it early. The speed and quickness are evident. He triggers downhill as fast as anyone.

+ Tough, instinctive, and versatile player who can play MIKE, SAM, and EDGE. He’s a physical guy who wants to hit, despite being slightly undersized.

+ He’s not a full-time EDGE defender, but he can rush the quarterback from the EDGE position. He has very good arm length and can keep offensive linemen off his chest. He has the flexibility to be able to bend the EDGE well enough to rush the quarterback in specific situations.

+ Strong tackler (7.3% missed tackle rate), strong against the run. Very physical when taking on blocks and good length to secure the tackle too.

+ Very strong in zone coverage. He can read a quarterback’s eyes and jump in front of throws. He will fit well as an underneath defender in Fangio’s zone coverage.

+ He has shown the ability to pass off receivers and understands opposing route concepts. He will fit in Fangio’s zone match system.

+ Tested like an elite athlete and tracking data suggests he’s just as fast on the field.

+ Sideline-to-sideline speed and explosiveness are obvious. He can catch up with backs as well as receivers coming across the formation.

+ His sideline-to-sideline speed enables him to navigate through traffic and chase down backs from the backside.

+ He can rush the quarterback from depth. The Eagles love to send their weak linebacker on a blitz (known as Whip), and Campbell will excel at this.

+ Led Alabama in tackles, TFLs, sacks, and forced fumbles.

+ His length is really useful in zone coverage, too, where he can step into lanes and reduce the throwing window.

Weakness

– He has average instincts and play recognition. This is an area he has to develop still. His physical traits sometimes get him out of jail in college, and they won’t be able to do this as frequently in the NFL. There are times when you can see him constantly scanning and trying to look over the defensive line because he doesn’t always trust his eyes and can be a little late. It’s almost as if he wants to confirm what he is seeing at times before he fully commits to triggering downhill.

– He can get fooled by play-action and needs to keep developing his anticipation. Smart teams will target him with motion, boot-action, and play-action.

– Needs to get bigger and a little bit more physical when coming downhill. He will struggle to take on bigger guards at the point of attack at his current weight. He can get stuck on blocks.

– He’s not a good enough pass rusher to be a full-time EDGE. The Eagles didn’t draft him to do this, though.

Overall

I watched Campbell pre-draft and had him as my number 1 linebacker. He’s the ideal modern-day linebacker who fits the current NFL perfectly. This is what I had to say before the draft:

Overall: Campbell is a tough, versatile player with great athleticism and speed, capable of playing MIKE, SAM, or even EDGE at times. He should be a reliable, every-down linebacker, and he blew up the combine and has real speed. While he’s an elite tackler and excels in coverage, his raw instincts and need for further development, especially in play recognition and physicality, could hold him back at the next level.

Eagles Thoughts: Campbell would be a great fit in Philly’s defense, but I doubt he will be around at pick 32. I doubt the Eagles spend money on a linebacker and draft another one in the 1st, either!

As you can see, I was a huge fan of Campbell’s fit in this defense. I didn’t think there was a chance the Eagles would get him! Teams must have had injury concerns because the talent shows a top-15 player. I believe he has the chance to be one of the best linebackers in the league if he develops well, because all the physical tools are there. Campbell is relatively inexperienced as a linebacker, but in some ways that makes this pick even more exciting, because he should get even better!

I can’t fully explain how excited I am about this pick. Last year, I wrote at length about Zack Baun’s schematic impact on this defense and called him the Eagles’ most important defensive player. Baun was the reason Vic Fangio was able to confuse offenses all season long. He was a schematic cheat code.

The only problem with what the Eagles did last season was that the defense was incredibly reliant on Baun’s versatility. If Baun had been injured, the Eagles would not have had a replacement who could do his job. In fact, there are barely any linebackers in the NFL who could replace this role. How many linebackers can play both off-ball linebacker and EDGE defender at a high level? How many can set the edge as an EDGE and take on pulling guards as an off-ball linebacker? How many can do all of the above as well as drop back into coverage? How many can beat an offensive tackle to get pressure on the quarterback? The answer is very, very few. Campbell profiles as someone who can perform all of these roles. The Eagles’ defense was the best in the NFL with one schematic cheat code last season. The Eagles just added another one in Campbell.

I’ve seen a lot of talk about whether he will play EDGE or off-ball, and I think it’s a bit simplistic. I’m almost sure he will play as an off-ball linebacker and then rotate to EDGE pre-snap. This means he may sometimes rush the quarterback from the EDGE position, but it will be because of a pre-snap shift. I don’t expect him to come out on 1st down and immediately line up at EDGE as part of a 4-2 front. He will be an off-ball linebacker who will play some EDGE, just as Zack Baun did. He’s not an EDGE defender.

I expect Campbell to start immediately from day one and beat out Jeremiah Trotter throughout training camp. Trotter is a more instinctive player, but he can’t compete with Campbell physically. Vic Fangio is going to want to get Campbell on the field immediately. I can’t wait to see him blitz from depth on Fangio’s Whip concept, which we saw Nakobe Dean excel at last year. He can do that job from day one.

Playing linebacker as a rookie in a Fangio defense isn’t easy. I expect Campbell to have some rookie mistakes and smart offensive coordinators to pick on him and test his eyes and instincts. However, I think Campbell has the physical traits to make some outstanding splash plays as a rookie and improve as the season progresses. By the end of the season, I wouldn’t be shocked if we are talking about Campbell as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. The sky is the limit for him.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.