Philadelphia Eagles flash plan for first-round pick Jihaad Campbell at rookie minicamp
The Philadelphia Eagles welcomed their 2025 NFL Draft class to the NovaCare Complex this weekend for rookie minicamp, where NBC Sports’ Dave Zangaro offered valuable insight into first-round pick Jihaad Campbell. According to Zangaro, Campbell, who underwent surgery on his left shoulder following the NFL Scouting Combine, was not a full participant as the Eagles […]
The Philadelphia Eagles welcomed their 2025 NFL Draft class to the NovaCare Complex this weekend for rookie minicamp, where NBC Sports’ Dave Zangaro offered valuable insight into first-round pick Jihaad Campbell.
According to Zangaro, Campbell, who underwent surgery on his left shoulder following the NFL Scouting Combine, was not a full participant as the Eagles try to ease him back into the swing of things.
He did, however, do some drills to the side and worked out with the off-ball linebackers.
"While Campbell wasn’t practicing, he did go through early team stretch and was then a spectator for the rest of the window of practice open to reporters," Zangaro wrote in his observation notes. "It’s worth noting that when the Eagles broke off into position drills, Campbell went with the off-ball linebackers. After the Eagles drafted Campbell, they talked up his pass-rush ability off the edge, but it appears like they’re going to start him off in the linebacker room. During those position drills, Campbell took shadow reps about 10 yards behind the players who were actually practicing."
This is an interesting note as we figure out the Eagles' plan for Campbell, especially since many initially assumed the Eagles would plug him in as a replacement for Josh Sweat. That said, it’s still way too early to know exactly how the team plans to use him.
Campbell is a super versatile linebacker who can pretty much do it all, which is important in Vic Fangio's defense and a big reason the Eagles traded up to get him in the first round. At Alabama, Campbell showed he could fly around the field, whether it was stopping the run, dropping back in coverage, or getting after the quarterback.
He takes the jump to the NFL following a breakout 2024 season with the Crimson Tide that really highlighted his versatility, logging 117 total tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. He also snagged one interception, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two pass breakups across 13 games.
It was also revealed that Campbell will wear jersey No. 30, a number he wore early on at Alabama.
