Philadelphia Eagles GM on drafting Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell: ‘A no-brainer’

The Philadelphia Eagles moved up one spot in the first round of the NFL Draft to make sure they got “a player we had tremendous passion about,” general manager Howie Roseman said.

Roseman didn’t expect to be able to acquire Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell with the 31st selection on Thursday night, but that’s what happened after the Eagles moved from 32nd in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that Philadelphia defeated 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.

“We made a small trade up just to ensure that we could get him,” Roseman said. “There were a lot of trades in the 20s, and so we just wanted to make sure that someone didn’t jump ahead of us. Excited to have him. Really excited to have him. Wasn’t really something we anticipated. Understand some of the other teams may have reasons for taking other players, but for us, this is a really easy pick. Really explosive player. He can play inside. He can be an edge rusher. Just really feel fortunate to bring him home back to Philly.”

Roseman said the Eagles tried to move up more but couldn’t swing a deal until the Chiefs’ slot – the next-to-last pick in the first round.

“This was a top-10 player on our board,” Roseman said. “We do not have any long-term concerns with his health. We look at the draft as a long-term opportunity for our team. We have a lot of confidence this guy is going to be here and play at a really high level for a long time. And so when you’re in a draft and you’re picking at the end of the first round, you have an opportunity to get a top-10 player on your board, a guy who can affect the quarterback, a guy who can affect the passing game, for us, it was a no-brainer. Local kid, great character, so we are really excited to have him.”

Campbell had shoulder surgery in March, a factor that might have come into play as he slid down the draft board in Thursday night’s first round.

“I think we get enough information before the draft that we started to feel like it was a possibility in the last few days,” Roseman said, “and so we had gone through scenarios where he was going to fall. We knew that there was probably a sweet spot that we could try to get up at, and we had done a lot of planning about that. So we understood kind of some of the questions that were going on with him.

“We spent a lot of time with our doctors and our medical staff, ensuring that we were all seeing it the same way. And, again, we have a lot of confidence in our edge rushers on this team, on our inside linebackers on this team. But for us, this, we thought, was one of the best players in the draft.”

Campbell is from Erial, New Jersey, which is about 20 miles across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, and he grew up an Eagles fan.

“I’m coming back home,” Campbell said. “Philly, y’all know what’s up. We got to turn up, we got to get lit, we got to win another freaking Super Bowl next year. It’s on.”

Campbell said he didn’t know if his shoulder injury had frightened off teams.

“It was really just God’s plan,” Campbell said. “I was just walking in his guidance. Me patiently waiting, that was all God’s work. He’s the best of planners always.

“I’m just taking it day-by-day with the shoulder process. Just making sure I’m maximizing every day that I can get better and heal up.”

The Eagles don’t have a specific hole in their defense to plug in Campbell.

“We think he’s a versatile player who can do a lot of different things,” Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni said. “Obviously, the main thing that you see is the energy that he plays with, the speed that he plays with and relentless effort that he plays with, and that fits on defense.”

Campbell said he hoped to be “a dominant force for the defense.”

“They do a lot of great things with Zack Baun, Nolan Smith,” Campbell said. “Just being able to be versatile, being in coverage, rushing through the A gaps, blitzing and just being that guy that adds value and creates value for themselves and great production for themselves.”

Roseman said Campbell came to Alabama as an edge rusher and left the Crimson Tide after making 117 tackles in 2024, so he already has demonstrated the versatility the Eagles crave.

“He’s got power as an edge rusher,” Roseman said. “He was trained as an edge rusher. And then he’s got the versatility to play off the ball and blitz from depth and play in space, in pass coverage, as an off-ball linebacker. …

“For us, it’s just we always want to improve the front seven, and we view him as a front-seven player who’s got incredible versatility and a skill set to do both those things. And the appeal is that he’s got this rush skill set. And he’s 21 years old. He turned 21 on Feb. 24, so you know, like, he’s got upside to grow and get bigger. And his frame is such that he can put on more weight and more strength. And so, as you can tell, excited about the player.”

Campbell becomes the eighth former Alabama player on Philadelphia’s roster, joining guard Landon Dickerson, quarterback Jalen Hurts, tight end Cameron Latu, cornerback Eli Ricks, wide receiver DeVonta Smith, offensive lineman Tyler Steen and defensive tackle Byron Young.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.