Eagles Rookie Review: Jihaad Campbell’s areas for improvement

One of my favorite things to do every offseason is to go back and compare my post-draft notes on the Eagles’ rookies with how they actually looked when they got on the field. It’s a fun blend of film study, self-evaluation, and a check on how well certain traits really translate to the NFL. I won’t be writing full scouting reports here, as I did that after the draft. This series is more about reviewing last year’s film in comparison to my pre-draft thoughts. Did the player perform as expected? Did anything surprise me? And what do I think comes next? At the end of each article, I’ll give my updated outlook for that player in the future.

Jihaad Campbell

Jihaad Campbell was my number one linebacker in the 2025 NFL Draft (as he was for nearly everyone), so it’s safe to say I loved this pick at the time. I didn’t think there was any chance the Eagles would have the opportunity to draft him. The film looked like that of a top-15 player, and I assumed the only reason he would slide was that teams were worried about his shoulder injury. A year later, I haven’t changed my opinion despite an up-and-down rookie season.

Campbell’s rookie season wasn’t perfect. There were the expected growing pains, a mid-season benching, and plenty of moments where his lack of experience at linebacker showed. But there were also stretches when he looked exactly like the player I hoped he would become. The athleticism translated immediately, the coverage ability was outstanding, and every now and then you saw flashes of a player who should eventually become one of the very best linebackers in football.

When I wrote my original review, I probably spent more time talking about what Campbell would allow Vic Fangio’s defense to become than I did talking about Campbell himself. Looking back now, I think I spoke more about his schematic fit than his individual talent because I was so excited about it. However, I will try to look a little more at the player in this one.

One thing I felt incredibly strongly about before the draft was Campbell’s physical profile. I wrote:

“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.”

Nothing about his rookie season has changed that evaluation. Campbell’s movement skills are special. He covers ground effortlessly, plays with explosive sideline-to-sideline speed, and has the type of closing burst that immediately stands out. What really impressed me when rewatching him was his pursuit, too. His effort level consistently matched his physical gifts. Those traits alone give him an incredibly high floor.

Another prediction I felt strongly about was his coverage ability. Before the draft, I wrote:

“He’s an elite tackler and excels in coverage…”

Campbell’s coverage was outstanding for a rookie linebacker. Yes, he got beaten occasionally, but the movement skills, body control, and comfort playing in space were exactly what I hoped to see. Just look at this dude move and cover ground!

Modern linebackers spend more time defending the pass than ever before, and Campbell already looks incredibly natural doing it. He’s very light for a traditional off-ball linebacker, but that’s because the modern NFL demands more from linebackers in coverage.

Whether matching backs out of the backfield, carrying routes vertically or simply taking away throwing windows over the middle, he consistently looked comfortable. His length also gives quarterbacks far less margin for error than they expect. There simply aren’t many linebackers built like him. Just look at this rep?

The biggest reason I loved Campbell before the draft, though, had nothing to do with his athletic profile. It was how perfectly he fit Vic Fangio’s defense.

I wrote:

“Campbell would be a great fit in Philly’s defense…”

“The Eagles’ defense was the best in the NFL with one schematic cheat code last season. The only problem was how reliant they became on Zack Baun’s versatility… The Eagles just added another one in Campbell.”

Last season I spent a ridiculous amount of time writing about Zack Baun because I believed he was the most important player in Fangio’s defense. Not necessarily the best player, but the player who allowed Fangio to disguise coverages, change fronts and constantly present offenses with different pictures before the snap.

There aren’t many linebackers capable of replacing that role. However, Campbell immediately gave the Eagles another player capable of handling many of those responsibilities. I know there was a lote of debate about whether Campbell would be an edge or off-ball linebacker at the next level, and I feel pretty confident in my analysis that he is clearly an off-ball linebacker. If anything, he struggled a little more at edge than I expected, which I will touch on later.

Another part of my evaluation that I still feel good about was identifying Campbell as an inexperienced linebacker whose best football was still ahead of him. I think we saw rookie struggles early on in the season.

“Campbell is relatively inexperienced as a linebacker, but in some ways that makes this pick even more exciting, because he should get even better.”

The issues Campbell had last year were largely mental, which is exactly what you’d expect from someone still relatively new to the position. I would expect him to improve a lot after another off-season in this defense, as long as his health allows him to get on the field. I think he got better at playing downhill after the first couple of weeks, too.

Finally, I also predicted that Fangio would trust Campbell very early.

“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.”

That proved largely correct. However, clearly did not see the benching midway through the season happening. Campbell still played 712 defensive snaps as a rookie, which is a big workload in one of the NFL’s most mentally demanding defensive systems. There were periods where he looked like one of the favorites for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and although the season became more complicated later on, the Eagles clearly viewed him as an immediate contributor rather than a long-term developmental project.

There were aspects of Campbell’s rookie season that unfolded exactly as I expected. Fangio asks an enormous amount of his linebackers mentally. They aren’t simply reading guards and attacking downhill. They’re constantly adjusting fronts, disguising coverages, matching routes and communicating with everyone around them. Campbell occasionally looked exactly what he was, a rookie linebacker still learning one of the most mentally demanding schemes in football.

His eyes weren’t always quick enough against the run. There were occasions where he was a fraction late diagnosing blocking schemes, and at times he relied on his elite athleticism to recover rather than arriving early through anticipation. None of that surprised me.

What I didn’t expect was how little he would play when Nakobe Dean was healthy. I wasn’t expecting the second half of the season. Campbell’s benching caught me off guard. I thought he would get some snaps on passing downs at least, but there were games when he didn’t play at all. From everything we heard, it wasn’t because he wasn’t talented enough, but with the Eagles competing for another championship, Fangio understandably valued reliability and experience. Nakobe Dean simply saw the game quicker at that point in his career.

I thought Campbell’s athletic profile and schematic fit would make him almost impossible to take off the field in certain situations. Instead, Fangio showed exactly how demanding this defense is. I was annoyed at times last year, but I think with the benefit of hindsight, I think the benching was healthy.

Campbell still finished the season with 712 defensive snaps, which is a good amount for a rookie linebacker, but it reinforced exactly where his development needs to come from. Hopefully, when he wasn’t out there, he could focus in the film room on processing information more quickly, trusting what he sees, and consistently triggering downhill before offensive linemen climb to the second level.

The final surprise was probably one where my opinion has evolved since writing my original article.

Before the draft I wrote:

“I expect Campbell to play as an off-ball linebacker and then rotate to EDGE pre-snap.”

After watching a full rookie season, I’m not sure I want him playing as an edge very much at all. Coming out of Alabama, a huge part of the conversation surrounded his versatility. Could he start at edge? Should he rush more often? Was he another Zack Baun?

Campbell absolutely has the athletic profile to rush the passer. There were flashes on overload blitzes where he exploded through open lanes and immediately disrupted the quarterback’s timing. There’s no doubt he can be an effective pressure player, but I think he is much better rushing from depth as an off-ball linebacker rather than a straight-up pass rusher from the edge.

It’s very obvious from watching him that he doesn’t have the instincts right now to play edge. It’s totally different. Look at how he doesn’t feel the WR block here, which is something you almost need to do instinctively. He should recognize pre-snap that the WR is a threat here, but he doesn’t. That’s just instincts.

His greatest value is playing linebacker. He’s simply too good in coverage to spend large portions of games lined up on the edge. His ability to play sideline-to-sideline, erase throwing windows, and match modern offensive concepts is far more valuable than asking him to become an occasional edge defender. He struggled at edge last year when he had to play there.

That’s probably the biggest change I’d make to my original projection. I’d still blitz him. I’d still move him around occasionally. But I wouldn’t spend valuable practice time trying to turn him into a hybrid defender. Let him become one of the best off-ball linebackers in football first. Once he masters that role, then Fangio can continue sprinkling in the creative pressure packages.

Also, completely unrelated, but watching Campbell struggle at edge makes me realize how unbelievably good Zack Baun is. He’s a unicorn.

Can he speed up his mental processing?

This is the obvious one. Campbell already has elite physical tools. The next step is seeing things just a fraction earlier. If he starts diagnosing run concepts quicker and trusting his eyes more consistently, I think you’ll suddenly see a huge jump in production. Here’s an example where he is caught up in the bubble screen rather than focusing on the run. He should leave the screen to his defenders at the top and focus on his own job at hand, so he can beat the guard to the spot.

Can he become more physical taking on offensive linemen?

Campbell is excellent at slipping underneath climbing blockers by lowering his pads and using his athleticism.

That’s a really valuable skill. However, there are still times where I’d like to see him attack offensive linemen with a bit more violence instead of always trying to avoid them. Adding that physical edge would make him an even more complete linebacker against the run.

Can he make us all forget just how good Nakobe Dean is?

Nakobe Dean was awesome last year, but the Eagles now have two linebackers with rare athletic profiles. Baun is already one of the smartest and most versatile defenders in football. Campbell has just as high a physical ceiling. If his mental processing catches up to his athletic ability, I think this could become one of the best linebacker pairings in the NFL. I’m hoping that we aren’t thinking of Nakobe Dean at all next season.

I’m still a big fan of Jihaad Campbell, and I haven’t changed that after one year. I thought Campbell was the best linebacker in the draft, a perfect fit for Vic Fangio’s defense, and that he had one of the highest ceilings of any defender in the class. I don’t think I’d change any of those opinions. I think I underrated his motor and pursuit, both of which were excellent.

He looked like one of the best athletes on the field, and you could instantly see that he belonged in this league. The areas that held him back were mental and technical, which is exactly what you would expect from an inexperienced linebacker learning one of the NFL’s most demanding defensive schemes.

I do think my projection of his long-term role has changed slightly. Before the draft, I was fascinated by the idea of Campbell rotating onto the edge and becoming another hybrid defender for Fangio. After watching his rookie season, I’d actually simplify things. I don’t want to see the Eagles spending large amounts of time developing him as an edge defender. His coverage ability is already outstanding, his range is exceptional, and I think his greatest value comes from allowing him to impact every area of the field rather than rushing the passer more often.

Looking ahead to next year, the areas for improvement are obvious. I want to see him diagnose plays quicker, trust his eyes more consistently, and become a little more physical when offensive linemen climb to the second level. If those parts of his game improve, I believe he’ll take a huge leap. Players with his combination of size, speed, effort and coverage ability simply don’t come around very often. Those physical gifts are already evident on film. Now it’s about refining the details of the position. The biggest question mark I have right now is the injury concerns, which I’m really hoping don’t hinder his development. But that’s impossible to analyze right now.

If you want to go much deeper into Campbell’s film, I have just recorded a film breakdown on Campbell that goes into each play in more depth over on my Patreon. I’d appreciate your support if you’d like even more Eagles film content.

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