Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer had just one season with Jihaad Campbell but that’s all it took to know Campbell has a chance to be a really special player in the NFL.
The Eagles traded up one spot last Thursday night to draft Campbell with the 31st pick out of Alabama.
What are the Eagles getting?
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SIGN UP HERE “He’s going to be sideline-to-sideline,” DeBoer said in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Amy Fadool. “He’s very versatile. We played him a lot off the ball but in certain packages, we put him on the edge and I know that’s really what he was coming out of high school was that edge pass rusher. I feel like he’s really grown.
“I feel like there’s a lot of room for improvement when it comes to playing off the ball, which is exciting. Because the athleticism’s there, the desire, the want-to, the willingness to work is all there. And so I know what his best football is ahead of him still. And he’s already playing at a very high level.”
Campbell, 21, was initially recruited to Alabama as an edge rusher and didn’t get switched to off-ball linebacker until the Crimson Tide needed to play him there.
Campbell was widely ranked as the top off-ball linebacker in this draft class but Eagles general manager Howie Roseman really talked up Campbell’s untapped potential as a pass rusher. With a defensive coordinator like Vic Fangio, there’s a lot of hope that the Eagles will get the most out of the talented draft pick.
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“Naturally, just because of how he’s played for us, I think of him as a linebacker,” DeBoer said. “Just because he can run, you get pressure, he’s so good at finishing. You want to get him around the ball. He’s going to do it on his own because he can run but if you can get him schematically close to the ball, he gets the ball-carrier, he gets the quarterback. It doesn’t matter who it is. He has that knack to get the guy to the ground. I think being that versatile linebacker that he is, what a great get. I know he’ll just add to the great mind and the tools that you have there in Philadelphia.”
DeBoer really has an appreciation for Campbell because the star defensive player stayed at Alabama in 2024 when DeBoer took over after the legendary Nick Saban retired. DeBoer said Campbell could have gone anywhere but decided to stay. DeBoer said Campbell welcomed change and never wavered.
And in his final college season, Campbell had 117 tackles, 5 sacks, 11 1/2 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 3 pass breakups and an interception. He was a second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC.
The only reason Campbell fell to the bottom of the first round was injury concern. While the Eagles trusted their medical staff and felt confident making the pick, it seems obvious that several teams passed on Campbell because of those concerns.
During the 2024 season, Campbell played through a shoulder injury that eventually needed surgery in March. He even played the first half of Alabama’s bowl game before exiting the game because of the injury.
“I think it was in his heart,” DeBoer said. “It shows how much he really wants to be here for his teammates. That will carry on to the next level. His ability to play through pain, that will carry on to the next level. I think there’s more positives from it than there are negatives.”
The Eagles have declined to talk about any sort of timetable for Campbell’s return so it’s a little unclear exactly when he’ll be able to practice. Maybe in the spring, maybe in the summer, maybe he’s not even ready for the start of the season.
But the Eagles also didn’t draft Campbell for just the 2025 season. They expect him to play a long time in Philadelphia.
DeBoer was with Campbell in Green Bay when he got drafted by the Eagles and saw how much it meant to the South Jersey native to return home.
“I probably didn’t realize the impact that getting drafted by his hometown team, not just on him, but his entire family. And he is a family guy,” DeBoer said. “If there’s anything I’ve ever seen him get overwhelmed by, it was the feelings and the emotions and the excitement that he had being drafted by Philadelphia.
“It’s just great to see guys land where they’re supposed to land and where they feel excited. He’s really looking forward to bringing whatever he can to make his hometown team go to the next level, which is going to be a tough task. But, man, he’s ready to do it and he’s a guy that can do it.”