A LB???

Jerry Robinson now has a friend. The Eagles drafted Robinson, an off-ball LB, in the first round back in 1979. They hadn’t spent another first round pick on an off-ball LB until Thursday night.

.@RealJihaadC is ROLLing into Philly@DietzandWatson | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/TUk6uuGHUY

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 25, 2025

Wow. Miracles do happen.

Jihaad Campbell – LB – Alabama – 6-3, 235

Here are some quick notes I had written on him.

Big ILB and a physical player. Sturdy frame. Explodes downhill. Very good burst. Good hitter and tackler. Has good range. Takes good angles to the ball. Sometimes will play on the edge. Wrap-up tackler. 2-year starter. Was recruited as an edge, but depth there moved him to ILB. Versatile, talented defender. Led Bama in tackles (117) in 2024. Added 11.5 TFLs, 5 sacks, 1 INT and 2 FF. Disruptive playmaker.

Howie Roseman had some interesting thoughts in his press conference. He said multiple times that the Eagles had Campbell as a Top 10 player on their board. He said taking Campbell was a no-brainer. The Eagles tried moving up to get him in the 20’s, but trade value got thrown off after a couple of teams overpaid. The Eagles held tight and moved up when Campbell got to 31. They wanted to make sure they got a player they had rated so highly.

One of the reasons Campbell fell is medical concerns. Campbell had surgery in March to repair a slight tear in his labrum (shoulder). The Eagles medical staff checked him out at the Combine and then later at the Combine re-check. They don’t have concerns about his long term health.

Howie got asked whether Campbell should be viewed as a LB or edge rusher. Howie gave a long, complex answer that wasn’t definitive at all. But I think I understood what he meant. Howie talked about the Penn State guys and their ability to play off-ball and rush (Parsons and Carter). He then said the NFL is a “speed game” and talked about the need to have your best players on the field to try to stop offenses. He mentioned the teams the Eagles have to go against to get where they want to be. I felt like that comment was about Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels (my apologies to Jaxson Dart).

Think about how Dallas has played Parsons. He has played WLB in the base and edge rusher in nickel/dime sets. They move him around, even lining him up over OGs in some sets. Think about Frankie Luvu and how Washington used him last year. He moved around and did different things. Both guys are outstanding playmakers.

Zack Baun was mentioned a few times, as you would imagine. The Eagles didn’t rush him a lot, but the DL was good enough that they didn’t have to blitz too much. If Fangio wants to blitz and be more creative, he needs versatile weapons. Baun is obviously one. Now Campbell can be one also.

I don’t think there is any doubt that Fangio had some influence on this pick, but Howie tried to make it clear that Campbell was a highly rated player. This wasn’t a need pick. This wasn’t just something Fangio wanted. The Eagles loved Campbell and really wanted him.

We will need to see how Campbell is used this season to have a better feel for him future. Nakobe Dean is coming off an injury so Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr could be battling for the other LB spot to open the season. We’ll see if Campbell is up for that challenge. If he is a backup this season, the Eagles can still carve out a specialty role for him.

I thought the Eagles would lean toward the offense in the first round, but having such a highly rated player fall was too much to pass on. This is the way you should draft, especially late in rounds. See who the highest rated player on your board is and take him. Think players more than positions.

Campbell is a good culture fit and should be a good scheme fit. He’s a Philly kid, so that’s cool.

That’s what we needed https://t.co/oZ9S4jbgnK

— Jihaad Campbell (@RealJihaadC) April 30, 2021

I am fine with the pick. I wasn’t sure the Eagles would go for a LB in the first so I didn’t spend a lot of time contemplating Campbell to the Eagles. Walter Nolen and Grey Zabel were a couple of guys I liked, but they were gone by pick 20. Then the Ravens took Malaki Starks. I was pretty wide open after that.

Howie added a terrific player and got good value in the process. That’s a pretty good way to open the draft.

Think about how far the Eagles have come since the days of Zach Cunningham and Nick Morrow. The Eagles probably have the best set of off-ball LBs in the league. This is an upside-down world we’re living in and I kinda like it.

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