Prospect Profile: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

Evaluation

Coverage

He is an excellent coverage Linebacker. He has outstanding athleticism, particularly in his explosion and lateral movement, as well as his long speed. This is combined with his technique and the way he processes the game to make him proficient in coverage. Firstly in Man coverage, on bigger Wide Receivers and Tight Ends, he reads the receiver well, particularly on 2-step breaks where he will read any hint from the receiver in their posture that the break is coming. From here he can use his explosion and movement skills to mirror in a confined space and stay in phase, at the top of the route and as the receiver comes out of the break. He can also make a play on the ball when he’s in phase as he has good timing and accuracy to break the pass up with his hands. He’s also a threat to pick the ball off and take it the other way as he has the explosion to undercut routes. This is true whether he’s in close quarters in soft press or catch man, as well as if he’s playing more off and gives up a cushion, his drive mechanics are excellent. On a flat footed read against a quicker and more dynamic receiver you can attack his leverage and get him turned but his play strength and explosion help to keep in the rep at the top of the route. In both Man coverage and Zone Coverage he has good technique and is excellent in his transitions. You can see him mug the A gap before dropping very quickly into his Zone and breaking on the throw to make a tackle on the receiver close to the line of scrimmage in a smooth and lightning fast motion. He opens his hips well and moves with purpose laterally when playing in Zone. He reads route progressions and is an eraser on WR screens from any underneath Zone he’s manning. In the hook/curl you’d like to see him read the Quarterback more effectively to ensure he doesn’t allow receivers running across the field behind him to be targeted. Not quite coverage but on occasion, on obvious passing downs, Alabama released him to rush the passer which he does with good power and elite bend. He has some moves that he can use, he has a good bull-rush and some good counters off that with a long arm and bull slip move that can be effective. It’s a very limited sample size but there are flashes of potential there.

Run Support

He plays the run with intelligence, explosion and physicality. He’s very rarely fooled by misdirection and chaos before the snap and at the snap. He will read his keys and hunt the football. He can take on Offensive Line blocks at full extension and use his hands to keep himself clean and disengage before moving towards the ball carrier. He can also set an edge against Tight Ends and will play both gaps. He can bait an Offensive Lineman running out in space at the second level before exploding laterally to avoid the block and make a play on the ball carrier. When he sees an opportunity to make a play and when he’s kept clean of climbing Offensive Lineman he can see ball, get ball and run straight to the ball carrier like a homing missile. He reacts very quickly to screens and outside runs and flows quickly to the ball carrier. He has lightning quick and powerful hands that allow him to beat Offensive Linemen’s blocks both in space and at the line of scrimmage. Where you can get him blocked is in Inside Zone when he doesn’t read Offensive Linemen climbing to the second level well, they can get angle on him and take him out of play.

Tackling

He has excellent pursuit, his play speed is very good and he can quickly to get to ball carriers, even chasing down receivers running up the sideline downfield. When tackling the inside run he is physical and forceful, meeting Backs in the hole with authority. In the open field, the only slight deficiency to his tackling is that he can leave his feet a little too quickly when he has more ground to cover and therefore loses his play strength through losing contact with the ground.