Eagles film: Is Jihaad Campbell actually a first-round linebacker or something more?

The Eagles left the first night of the NFL draft with another versatile box defender to pair with the one they utilized so well last season.

Former Alabama standout Jihaad Campbell became the first off-ball linebacker taken by the team since Jerry Robinson in 1979, but it’s not quite that simple. He may have a clear pathway to starting alongside Eagles do-it-all linebacker Zack Baun as a rookie early next year, but could also have pathways to much more based off his college tape.

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To assess what Campbell’s position could eventually evolve into and what he will offer to the Eagles defense from Day 1, let’s review the film.

Watching Campbell’s tape, the first thing that jumps out is the size, speed, and physicality that underscore his game. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound prospect has an ideal build for a modern linebacker, elite movement skills at that size, and should fit right into an Eagles defense that prided itself on physicality last season.

Whether it was as an off-ball linebacker or walking down onto the line of scrimmage as an edge defender, Campbell wasn’t shy about coming downhill against the run to make a big hit for the Crimson Tide.

The advanced metrics confirm Campbell’s trustworthiness against the run. The 21-year-old finished last season with 117 total tackles compared to just seven missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, giving him one of the best missed tackle rates among college linebackers.

As that production would suggest, Campbell would often be the one to clean up runs along the perimeter, using his 4.52-second 40-yard dash speed to close down running backs near the sideline.

That’s not to say Campbell is completely polished as a box defender, though. There were instances last season when his instincts or feel for the space in those tight areas between the tackles left him a tick late to get to the ballcarrier or out of position to deal with oncoming blockers.

It’s understandable given the number of different alignments and roles Alabama asked him to take on (more on that later), but still necessitates some projection when assessing how Campbell would look as an every-down linebacker for the Eagles early in his career.

Campbell isn’t simply an off-ball linebacker, though. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman referenced Campbell’s versatility several times Thursday night, something that is hard to miss when watching him play last season.

“He’s a versatile player who can do a lot of different things,” Roseman said. “So obviously, the main thing that you see is the energy that he plays with, the speed that he plays with, and relentless effort that he plays with, and that fits on defense.”

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Campbell lined up mostly as a conventional off-ball linebacker in Alabama’s defense, but also spent meaningful time as an edge defender or walked down to the line of scrimmage in a two-point stance in more exotic fronts.

Similar to Baun’s transition to the off-ball linebacker position with the Eagles last year, Campbell’s experience playing on the edge in high school and early in his college career showed up with how comfortable he was operating at the line of scrimmage or out in space.

Campbell’s pass-rushing experience and athleticism also showed up on blitzes last season. He was the beneficiary of a missed blocking assignment in Alabama’s win over LSU last November, but did well to close the space on Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and to strip the ball after exploding through the A-gap.

Even with the versatility he showed in college, it’s entirely possible Campbell’s best-case scenario in the NFL involves an eventual shift toward spending most of his time playing on the edge.

It’s worth noting Campbell, who did both linebacker and edge rusher drills at the NFL scouting combine, said Thursday his lone meeting with the Eagles in the pre-draft process was with defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn. Roseman also alluded to Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons’ and New York Giants No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter’s success stories as converted off-ball linebackers at Penn State when discussing Campbell’s versatility Thursday.

“This is a guy who was recruited from IMG at Alabama as an edge rusher,” Roseman said. “Hand-in-the-dirt edge rusher. They had some injuries at Alabama. They played him off the ball. You see his explosiveness and his speed, and really, it’s kind of interesting, and we talked about this a lot. You see Penn State give them a lot of credit for what they’ve done. They’ve had guys off the ball move to edge rushers. Obviously, their last two guys who’ve been drafted really high, they started off the ball and they moved to edge rushers.”

So what does Campbell look like rushing off the edge?

He had 112 snaps on the defensive line last season, according to PFF, including a handful of rushing opportunities last November against former LSU standout left tackle and No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell.

In those snaps, Jihaad Campbell had flashes, primarily when he was able to use his quickness and bend to get around the edge.

There were low moments, though, mostly due to Campbell’s lack of polish as a rusher without an arsenal of well-worked moves to play off one another.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Campbell was at his best when he kept it relatively simple. The combination of his quickness around the edge and his upper-body strength meant he was able to win with speed rushes or straight bullrushes more effectively than moves rooted in technique.

How much he gets to rush for the Eagles might be dictated by how effectively he can turn those high-level moments into a more consistent pass-rush plan, but Campbell’s physical profile should give him a chance to develop into an impact player. If it’s not on the edge, it could be off the ball, or somewhere in between.