The Detroit Lions surprised many when they selected Jack Campbell in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but the linebacker has quickly proven his merit as he has developed over the last two seasons.
This year, Campbell has shown valuable strides as he has taken on a key role. He has already collected 62 tackles and one sack at the relative halfway point of the season, which puts him easily on pace to eclipse his tackle total from last year (95).
Not only are the surface stats showing Campbell's emergence, but the deeper metrics are as well. Colton Pouncey of The Athletic pointed out that Campbell has surged to become Pro Football Focus' ninth-highest graded linebacker. His coverage grade (75.4) is sixth-best at the position, and his run defense grade (79.0) is 15th-best.
Jack Campbell is now PFF's 9th highest-graded linebacker. pic.twitter.com/p4hmgyLg3J
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) November 4, 2024
For Campbell, it has been a very quiet emergence. He doesn't make flashy game-breaking plays like Kerby Joseph or Brian Branch do, but he has been very steady in all phases of the game as the Lions have had a lot of success defensively. That is exactly what the Lions were hoping for in his second season.
Jack Campbell downplays career day vs. Packers
Anybody looking for the specific moment that things clicked for Campbell might only point to the game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9. Coming off an 11-tackle performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8, Campbell delivered again with 13 tackles to set his new career-high.
This week, when asked to discuss that performance against Green Bay, Campbell said he is more focused on the team success rather than any personal stats.
"Honestly, just trying to do my job. I feel like that's a strength of mine. Just the run game and getting the ball down. So, just being able to do what I got to do to come out and get these big wins is kind of what I'm doing."
As the Lions try to reach their goals in the second half of the season and into the playoffs, Campbell is going to be a vital piece of the defensive puzzle.