New York Giants Draft Prospect: LB Jack Campbell, Iowa

Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell might be someone the Giants want to pay close attention to.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Feb 16, 2023 8:00 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

Iowa Hawkeyes

Jack Campbell, LB

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 246 lbs,
Class: Senior
School: Iowa
Age: 22 (8/22/2000)

A former three-star recruit from Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he was the 44th-ranked OLB and the 4th Iowian recruit during the 2019 cycle. Campbell was an accomplished high school player who was named to the All-Iowa Elite all-state team.

Notables

A very productive and formidable college linebacker for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Campbell received the William V. Campbell Trophy (bestowed to a college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance) while earning the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the nation. Campbell is a linebacker through and through, and he was a team captain for the impressive Hawkeye defense.

Campbell was also named the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year after logging 125 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 51 STOPs, 15 pressures, one sack, and two interceptions in his senior season; he recorded a pick-six against Minnesota, where he evaded several tacklers and tight roped the sideline for a touchdown.

He also had 145 tackles in his junior year - two consecutive seasons with over 100 tackles. Campbell finished his time in Iowa with 299 total tackles, 12.5 for a loss, three sacks, five interceptions, ten passes defended, three forced fumbles, and 37 pressures.

Campbell finished first-team All-Big-10 twice (in 2021 & 2022). He led an elite defense and excelled on and off the football field. He fits Joe Schoen’s Smart, Tough, and Dependable to a T. He received an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine and the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl, although he did not participate in the latter event.

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Strengths

Smart, tough, dependable
Excellent size and good thickness for the position
Has enough athletic ability to play in the NFL
Solid quickness, burst, and lateral agility near the LOS
Solid ability to change direction and redirect his body
Good overall closing burst into contact
Does a solid job picking his spots and shooting gaps
Very good eye-discipline to read, react, and attack in a controlled manner
Patient, does not panic - doesn’t over-pursue very often
Excellent reactive quickness - precise player
Does a good job navigating gaps and plays the Cat & Mouse game well
Does a good job staying square to LOS while scraping over the top of traffic
Excellent processing and understanding on when/where to be to execute his assignment that maintains the continuity of the defense
Takes good pursuit angles in space
Embraces contact and does not shy away
Can stack & shed - has done well to dip below or through contact when OL doesn’t have a good angle
Block shedding with solid hand pop - doesn’t concede ground
Good overall tackler - had a less than 10% missed tackle rate in his final three seasons at Iowa
Keeps his feet churning through contact
Solid zone coverage player with good awareness - not fooled often by routes behind him, albeit he may not always make the play on the football
Made a one-handed interception - solid ball skills with upside (Ohio State, 2022)
Understood how to use timing and take the correct path while blitzing
Has value as a blitzer in the NFL
A true leader

Weaknesses

Sufficient athlete but not a dynamic one
Hips need some WD-40, but only some for a LB
Average sideline-to-sideline range/foot-speed
Had several missed tackles in the 2022 Bowl Game against Kentucky
Isn’t the biggest thumper at the position
Teams attempted to attack him in man coverage
May not be ideal for man coverage at the next level, but should be adequate
Questions about covering the deep middle in Tampa-2 are fair, but he did have one of his interceptions on a play similar to that up the seam against C.J. Stroud and Ohio State - Q3, 15:00, 1st & 10 (vs. play action in 3-Match)
Juked out of his shoes against Michigan RB Blake Corum

MICH: Q4, 1:36 3rd & 2

Summary

Jack Campbell has excellent size and leadership intangibles. He’s an intelligent player who isn’t out of position often, understands his keys, and knows how to stack & shed offensive linemen to leverage his gaps. He has smart, tough, and dependable written throughout his tape. Whoever selects him in the upcoming draft will value his eye discipline, reactive quickness, and calm nature on the football field.

Most linebackers in college are athletes running around making plays and leveraging their athletic gifts. Campbell is a true inside linebacker who understands the nuance of reading concepts, shedding blocks, and playing defense. He’s not the most dynamic athlete at linebacker, but he’s sufficient and can play in the NFL. He’s not the biggest hitter at linebacker, nor will he consistently carry the No. 3 receiver up the seam, but he’ll be where he needs to be to fit the run.

The combine could treat Campbell very well if he tests above average as an athlete. Although his athletic profile isn’t excellent, I believe he’s much more than a two-down linebacker, and he can play on passing downs in sub-packages. Campbell is a true MIKE at the next level. He should make a team very happy somewhere on Day 2 of the draft.

GRADE: 6.42