Jihaad
Campbell.
Jihaad
Campbell.
Alabama· 6'3"· 235 lb· 4.52s 40
"A three-down chess piece who plays the run downhill and rushes like the edge defender he used to be, with the range and length to carry tight ends up the seam and the position flexibility to move around a front."Pre-draft read
Off-ball linebacker with a violent first step and a quick shed, moving downhill in the run game with a two-hand strike. He closes alleys with straight-line speed. In coverage, he carries tight ends vertically and sits in hook-curl with good depth, using his length to disrupt throwing windows. Tackling is high-volume and mostly reliable, although he generally lets ballcarriers into his frame. The separator is pass-rush conversion; his blitz is a genuine pressure package.
He arrived as an edge prospect and kept those traits after moving inside: real bend around a blocker's corner and the length to convert speed to power on B-gap blitzes. His eyes are still catching up to his athleticism; he trusts what he sees late and can overrun the cutback lane instead of pressing and squeezing.
Best in a multiple front that blitzes its linebackers and plays match zone behind them — a Fangio-style two-high shell or a hybrid 3-4 that can walk him to the edge on passing downs.
Year 1: nickel linebacker with a designated pass-rush package and heavy special-teams work. Ceiling: three-down defensive centerpiece who plays 90 percent of snaps and delivers six-plus pressures and 100-plus tackles a year.
A static two-gap 3-4 that asks its inside backers to take on guards and pure-read from depth every snap — that scheme strips the blitz value and exposes his diagnosis timing.
His value scales with how creatively a coordinator uses him; put him in one job and he becomes an average stack backer.
Jihaad Campbell Alabama Highlights
Career reel from Tuscaloosa showing the downhill run fits, the B-gap blitz and the coverage carries.
Jihaad Campbell — All Snaps vs Rams (Week 3, 2025)
Every-snap film cutup from his rookie year with Philadelphia, useful for reading his alignment usage.
Jihaad Campbell 2025 Rookie Highlights | Philadelphia Eagles
Season-long rookie compilation, including the interception and the run-game production.
A prospect with an edge-rushing background, this player converted to linebacker in college, bringing a unique blend of traits to the second level. His evaluation centers on his athletic upside and his ability to impact both run defense and the pass rush. His 4.52s 40-yard dash at 235 pounds highlights the speed and range he brings, positioning him as a convertible piece for defenses looking for an athletic, playmaking linebacker who can also contribute as a blitzer.
He played nine games as a freshman, then became a starter midway through 2023, accumulating 66 tackles. His 2024 junior year saw him produce a first-team All-SEC season with 117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks, demonstrating significant production even with a relatively short tenure at the position. He was the tackle engine of his defense and showed an ability to force turnovers, including a 24-yard fumble return touchdown against Tennessee.
The primary concerns revolved around his limited experience at linebacker and a shoulder surgery in March that restricted his combine participation. While consensus projected him as a late first-round pick, with teams eyeing him in the 15-32 range, Philadelphia traded up one spot with Kansas City to select him at pick 31.
- 01
Blitz conversion
His edge-rushing background translates to effective interior pressure, as he times B-gap blitzes, bends around blocks, and produced 5.0 sacks and 11.5 TFL in 2024.
- 02
Volume production
Recorded 117 tackles in 2024, placing fourth in the SEC, and was top-five in both solo (54) and assisted (63) tackles, serving as his team's tackle leader.
- 03
Closing speed
His 4.52s 40-yard dash shows up as sideline-to-sideline range, allowing him to chase down perimeter runs from the backside and beat ballcarriers to the alley.
- 04
Length and disruption
With 32 1/2-inch arms and a 6-8 wingspan, he takes on blocks with extension and narrows throwing lanes over the middle, even with slightly delayed coverage reads.
- 05
Play-finishing instincts
Demonstrates a knack for forcing turnovers with two career interceptions, three fumble recoveries (including a touchdown), and two forced fumbles as a junior.
- 01
Diagnosis timing
He sometimes overruns cutback lanes due to delayed reads of run keys, relying on athleticism to compensate rather than precise technique and leverage.
- 02
Shoulder surgery in March 2025
This operation impacted his combine/pro day testing beyond the 40 and broad jump, raising durability questions for a contact-heavy position.
- 03
Thin experience at the position
He has only two seasons of substantial linebacker tape after converting from an edge rusher, leading to occasional processing delays.
- 04
Tackling technique
Although a high-volume tackler, he tends to absorb ballcarriers into his frame rather than striking through, ceding extra yards after contact against larger backs.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.52sp50
- Vertical
- —in
- Broad jump
- 127inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Alabama | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Alabama | 13 | 66 | 0.5 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | Alabama | 13 | 119 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | — | 35 | 186 | 5.5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- First-team All-SEC (2024)
- 4th in the SEC in total tackles (117) in 2024
- 5th in the SEC in solo tackles (54) and assisted tackles (63) in 2024
- 24-yard fumble return touchdown vs Tennessee (2023)
Athletic every-down starter who produces tackle volume and blitz pressure while still cleaning up run-fit discipline.
Three-down centerpiece whose range, coverage and finishing make him the defense's organizing principle.
Toolsy converted defender who ends up shuttled between roles instead of mastering one.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Philadelphia traded the 32nd and 164th picks to Kansas City to move up one spot for him, and the return was immediate even though the medical file was heavier than anyone outside the building knew. He played all 17 games as a rookie with 10 starts, finishing with 80 combined tackles (44 solo), 2 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and the PFWA named him to its 2025 All-Rookie Team.
The usage curve tells the story: a rotational nickel role and special-teams work early, then a steady climb into a full-time job in the second half of the season as the defensive unit trusted him with more coverage responsibility within a Fangio-style two-high scheme. In March 2026 the Eagles disclosed that he had played the entire rookie year through a shoulder injury and finally underwent surgery after the season, with a return targeted for training camp.
That context reframes the year — the tackle volume and the finishing plays came from a defender operating below full health — and it also carries the pre-draft durability flag forward into his second season. Entering 2026 he projects as Philadelphia's starting three-down linebacker, with the diagnosis timing and the tackling technique still the two development items scouts flagged coming out of Alabama.