Thumbs up or down on the Eagles drafting Jihaad Campbell? Our writers weigh in.

The Eagles selected Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell with the 31st pick in the NFL draft on Thursday. Here’s how our writers evaluate the pick:

Campbell’s selection came as a surprise because few saw the Alabama product dropping out of the top 15-20 picks, but also because the Eagles haven’t drafted a linebacker in the first round in 46 years. Technically, it had been 11 years. Marcus Smith was a “linebacker,” but he was essentially an edge. Campbell spent most of his time in college at off-ball, but he may end up on the edge in the NFL. That’s where he was recruited to play coming out of IMG. At the very least, he will likely see time at both spots. The Eagles like his versatility and Howie Roseman justified the departure from norm by emphasizing Campbell’s ability to rush the passer.

But I wonder if the general manager would have made the pick if Vic Fangio wasn’t around. The defensive coordinator, of course, would have say in the selection. He’s earned as much. But Fangio’s scheme — or at least versions of it — has been in Philly since 2021, and Roseman didn’t see the need to beef up the linebacker corp until the last two years. That was a mistake because the position is vital with the Fangio system employing a fair amount of two-high safety shells. Anyway, Campbell has all the physical traits you’d want at the second level and could compete with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. for the starting spot opposite Zack Baun with Nakobe Dean unlikely to be ready by the opener.

I like the pick because, quite frankly, I didn’t see him reaching the Eagles and everyone I spoke with said he was a top-10 talent in this class. He had shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in March, but that couldn’t have been the only reason Campbell fell. There were reportedly concerns about the other shoulder and a knee, and the combination of all three made some teams pass. I asked a few personnel executives on other teams if he dropped for other reasons and they said they had him high on their boards. “It was only the medical,” one long-time NFL senior evaluator said. “He is one of the best defensive players in the draft.”

If so, that’s quite a steal at No. 31, even if Campbell isn’t 100 percent healthy by training camp. If injuries become an nagging issue, then the pick doesn’t look as good. But Roseman said the Eagles’ doctors had no long-term concerns. We’re a long way from knowing how Campbell will pan out. But if they found a starting linebacker that can be a moving chess piece in Fangio’s defense, and who eventually earns a second contract, the Eagles did well.

It was hard to not buy what Roseman was selling from the auditorium stage inside the NovaCare Complex after the Eagles picked Campbell. He was a player they rated highly. He is versatile. He required relatively meaningless capital to move up a pick to ensure he ended up on your team if you really feared a rival general manager swooping in.

Campbell is just 21 years old, and while he still has plenty of room to grow, he has already flashed an ability to get after the quarterback and also play off-ball linebacker at a pretty high level. Think of another potential Baun, who is also 6-foot-3 and has some of that positional versatility. Think of what that might look like if it all clicks under Fangio.

» READ MORE: Read between the lines: Eagles may have drafted a ‘linebacker,’ but Jihaad Campbell projects as an edge rusher

Will it? No one can answer that now, but the Eagles probably earned the benefit of the doubt for any player they picked Thursday night. That’s the luxury of winning the Super Bowl and having a returning core of players that will make a repeat possible. There’s a bit less pressure to hit big.

On the flip side, the Eagles need all the young and cheap talent they can find with many of their top players entering new and more cap-consuming contracts. How key were Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean last season? Campbell joins the two of them, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and others with multiple years remaining on their rookie contracts.

All of this is without mentioning that off-ball linebacker is a position of need, with Dean recovering from a serious knee injury and on the final year of his rookie deal. A bigger need than edge rusher? Maybe. Maybe not. But the Eagles think they got a 2-for-1 special, and it’s easy to like their chances of being right.

This pick has Fangio written all over it.

We learned last season just how much Fangio values versatility in his defense, as evidenced by the utilization of Baun. The recently-extended Baun transitioned into a full-time inside linebacker role for the Eagles last season, but Fangio also took advantage of his pass-rushing background, lining him up on the edge in five-man fronts.

Sometimes Baun would get after the quarterback. On other occasions he would drop into coverage. Regardless, Baun’s versatility allowed Fangio to create a disguise before the snap, putting offenses in a bind.

» READ MORE: Exuberant Eagles fan Jihaad Campbell lands with hometown team in NFL draft: ‘The rich got richer’

In Campbell, Fangio could be getting Baun 2.0. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Campbell was recruited to Alabama as an edge rusher. In 2024, he transitioned to off-ball linebacker, a position that would allow him to get on the field and make an impact. Campbell will bring that versatility to Philadelphia, as Roseman refused to “put this player in that box” by labeling him as one position or the other. Reading between the lines, it seems as though the Eagles view him more as an edge rusher than as an inside linebacker.

Still, it’s easy to see why the Eagles think he could execute a variety of tasks in the defense. He has tremendous sideline-to-sideline speed, which is no small feat for a player of his size. He is a willing, physical tackler in the run game, as evidenced by his 54 tackles against the run (tied for No. 14 in FBS in 2024) with just three misses (4.1% missed tackle rate), according to PFF.

As an edge rusher, he has the raw ability to win against longer, bigger tackles thanks to his ability to turn the corner. He has some work to do to continue to develop his pass-rush technique and some mass to add to his frame, but it’s clear that the tools are there for the Eagles to work with.

There’s a reason why Campbell fell to the Eagles at No. 31, though. He’s had some recent health issues — he underwent shoulder surgery in December and had a knee scope in the fall of 2023. Roseman said he had no long-term health concerns about Campbell. If that’s the case, the Eagles have yet another versatile chess piece to add to their defense. This is a big swing for a team that can afford to take one.

Campbell’s ceiling as either an edge rusher or a hybrid player capable of wearing multiple hats is obvious, but his floor might be even more reason to sign off on the Eagles’ decision to move up one spot for him.

At worst, he should be a rangy off-ball linebacker capable of mirroring Baun’s role from last year in a handful of ways. He’s shown that he can line up all over the formation, use his sideline-to-sideline speed to make plays against the run and even has good feel for space dropping into zone coverage. That should help the Eagles in the short term, assuming the team’s medical evaluation of the shoulder injury he suffered last season and the knee injury sustained earlier in his career is correct.

» READ MORE: An absolute baller, Swiss Army knife, hybrid: Eagles top pick Jihaad Campbell has a knack for fitting in.

The true upside of this pick will likely come down to whether Campbell can find a way to turn his standout physical traits into production rushing the quarterback, though. It’s fair to say Campbell is still very much a work in progress as a pass rusher off the edge, but the flashes are prevalent enough to suggest he could eventually be an impact player doing so. Comparisons to Micah Parsons are a dangerous thing, but Campbell does have some of the same attributes as a smaller, explosive box player who plays with more force than you’d expect at his size. It’s also worth noting Campbell is just 21 years old and could easily build upon his 6-3, 235-pound frame to help him set the edge and better deal with bigger, strong tackles.

Combine Campbell’s short-term floor and the long-term upside, especially considering the Eagles got him at the back end of the first round where there are much fewer highly touted prospects, and there’s not much to quibble with.