Brad Holmes has been a wildly successful drafter in Detroit. Just look at the general manager’s 2023 haul. You can reasonably argue that three of the Lions’ first four picks from that draft are now top-five players at their respective positions: running back Jahmyr Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta and safety Brian Branch. The unmentioned selection in that span of picks? Jack Campbell, who just led the team with 131 tackles. While the linebacker hasn’t received Pro Bowl recognition like his draft classmates, he certainly has made an impact in Detroit — especially last season, when injuries ravaged the Lions’ linebacker group and defense as a whole. The former first-round pick started every game and left quite an impression on his old defensive coordinator.
“He’s a damn good player for us, and I keep saying this: He’s a true MIKE linebacker. For him to stand in front of a group of men, the way they respect him is unreal, and you see it, and I’m sure the players talk about that, too,” Aaron Glenn said last December, a month before he became head coach of the Jets. “He’s a man’s man, he understands what we’re trying to do, and he continues to try to get better.”