We're almost there. The Detroit Lions and the rest of the NFL will start training camp this month. The Lions will of course start at the very end of the month on the 29th, but it will indeed be in July.

It is now that time of year where we can really start talking about what's going to happen at Lions camp this year. Sadly, we won't be able to go as in depth as we did last year when the Lions were on Hard Knocks, but there will still be plenty of entertainment. Specifically in the camp battle department.

It seems like there's more battles than ever this year. So we're going to split them up and go over them one by one. We've already gone over the RB3 battle, the right guard battle and the kicker battle. Today we're going to talk about linebacker and how Jack Campbell is going to have win his spot. 

The Lions took a big swing in the 2023 NFL draft when they took an off ball linebacker with the 18th pick. Off ball linebackers typically aren't going this high in the draft anymore. Actually, linebackers in general aren't flying off the board anymore. Only two were selected in the first round of this years draft. 

Campbell is different though. He has the size, speed and athleticism you want in this role. The type of attributes that could lead to him being one of the best linebackers in the game. He also comes highly regarded by former teammates and coaches in Iowa. It's all there. You would think that this kid would just be granted a starting spot in the NFL. That's not going to be the case according to Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard. 

“Guys, it does not matter if he went first round. It doesn’t matter,” Malcolm went sixth round. That has no tell on the progression of the rookie development. Each guy … literally is different.”

Much of this can be attributed to Sheppard trying to motivate his guys. This isn't Sheppard telling us anything about Campbell being a bad player or something. It is telling us that he's going to have work for his spot though. 

The fact is, there's another linebacker who's been busting his tail to get into the starting lineup and he has the benefit of being with the Lions for a while now. That's Derrick Barnes. The  former fourth round pick was reportedly working with the first team during OTA's and mini camp and looked pretty good while doing so. He's not going to just go quietly into the night and let Campbell have the spot because he got picked higher. 

There's also the aforementioned Malcolm Rodriguez. He's sort of been thrusted aside by many since Campbell was drafted and the the assumption has just been that he's going to just have to take a smaller role. He won the job as a rookie last season and he could very well do so again in 2023. 

The good thing here is that the Lions have talent. They don't need to just throw Campbell into the deep end. They can bring him a long slowly. He might not win the job at camp, but he can win the job during the season. You'd almost like that better because then he gets to go through his rookie development at a nicer rate. 

My prediction 

My prediction is just what I said above. I think ultimately Derrick Barnes wins the spot at camp and then Campbell wins it during the season. The Lions haven't been in a position where they could do something like this with a rookie in a long while. It really is an advantage to them to be able to develop a player instead of throwing him to the sharks on day one. Campbell will likely be better because of it.

Featured image by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK