Consensus: Bucs Select Jihaad Campbell
April 21st, 2025
Trust in shoulder procedures?
The Bucs selection at No. 19 in Thursday night’s Round 1 of the draft could be summed up in one word: shoulder.
In short, do you trust SirVocea Dennis to have a healthy shoulder? And do you trust Jihaad Campbell to have a healthy shoulder?
Bryan DeArdo of CBS did some homework to show what the consensus mockers/schlockers believe.
DeArdo tracked all the mock/schlock drafts from everyone and his brother who is being paid to crap one out for CBS, BSPN and NFL.com.
It seems most of the mock schlocks (or is it schlock mocks?) have Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht choosing the beast from Alabama, Campbell.
Just about everyone has the Buccaneers selecting Campbell, who filled the stat sheets last year with 117 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception.
This is the way Joe sees it: If the Bucs pass on Campbell, that tells Joe they are spooked by his shoulder surgery, performed just after the combine in February. What makes this interesting is if the Bucs pass on Campbell, that means the Bucs and/or Licht are likely good with Dennis’ shoulder surgery that happened four-plus months earlier.
Half-dozen in one hand; six in the other.
And since we are on the subject of shoulder surgeries, anyone remember when former Bucs second-round pick Noah Spence had his shoulder surgery, he wasn’t anything close to the player the Bucs had prior to blowing out his shoulder.
Now, who shoulders the blame if the Bucs end up with a hole at inside linebacker this season because of someone’s bum shoulder?
Decisions!
April 21st, 2025 at 12:14 am
I say take him and Bank on at least one of His or Dennis’ shoulder being good to go. At least one of them have to pan out, right? Best case scenario, they are both good and our 2 future starters at LB.
April 21st, 2025 at 12:33 am
Impressive that these mock draft specialists have the time to go to medical school also.
April 21st, 2025 at 1:03 am
Lets see Noah had the injury. He also had Mike Smith decide to run his weight up to 263 lbs and make him into something he was not. Sure the injury did not help but… They played this dude with a brace on! Basicly pinning his arm to his body! for quite a few games before surgery!
I don’t see this as much of a comparison Joe. Not to mention that no one knows how severe any of these shoulder injuries were.
I would bet that Licht knows a ton more about these two dudes health than any of us though.
Go Bucs!
April 21st, 2025 at 1:51 am
Nope, not gonna happen!
Bucs aren’t drafting Campbell at 19…..
Only way that happens is if the bucks trade down to mid 20s….
If they stay at 19, it’s NICK EMMANWORI!! Bad-ass safety from South Carolina!!
Mind you again, Emmanwori had the highest RAS score in NFL HISTORY for the safety position!!!
Todd Bowles gonna be salivating if Emmanwori is available still at 19!!
This dude is Cam Chancellor 2.0 WITH THE 4.38 SPEED!!!
April 21st, 2025 at 2:24 am
Knight jr….3rd rd
April 21st, 2025 at 2:30 am
MadMax Says:
April 21st, 2025 at 2:24 am
Knight jr….3rd rd
^^^^^^^^
I don’t know who the player would be, but I do agree with the Bucs addressing the ILB position at this point in the Draft.
April 21st, 2025 at 3:14 am
Don’t draft injured players. Too risky.
April 21st, 2025 at 3:17 am
Found another late rd or udfa. DT, Demond Taylor jr. Not the biggest but he can penetrate.
April 21st, 2025 at 3:53 am
The Bucs say that they want ball hawks, and Emmanwori has not produced turnovers at anything approaching ball hawk levels. Starks seemed to be a ball hawk for one season. The safety who has two seasons as a proven ball hawk is Xavier Watts. If the Bucs can’t get Campbell, Watts should be at the top of their list. If they get Campbell, then Mukuba should be their ball hawk Safety.
Winning in the NFL is about matchups and overmatch. Campbell brings overmatch ability in more dimensions than any other ILB in the draft. And, his two strip sack fumble recovery touchdowns plus an interception are evidence that he is a ball hawk incarnate.
The Bucs have a great need at DB. At CB, the need is for starting quality depth. At Safety, if Izien plays beside Winfield, and if Winfield is fully recovered, then, with Smith at Nickel CB, the need at Safety is for starter quality depth. But, Winfield is a bit undersized. And, his playing style puts his body on the line. Injuries may be his future. In which the Bucs have a very great need indeed at Safety.
Campbell left the ReliaQuest Bowl with a shoulder injury on December 31st. If he needed major Shoulder Stabilization Surgery with an eight month recovery time, it seems like he would have had the surgery in January. Instead, he waited until after the Combine in March to have surgery. And, he looked great at the Combine. Those two things argue that Campbell probably had a lesser procedure like a debridement or repair of a small tear or partial tear in which case he could be playing ball sometime in June.
April 21st, 2025 at 4:27 am
Are these mockers trying to bring the Bucs down? Seems that way with their talking about Campbell being Lichts 19th pick. Unfortunately, we could eat our words and they do, but not believing that will happen. And reading the previous Joe article, Licht could have malpractice if he picks him at 19.
Campbell’s shoulder injury is still questionable. He also had a knee scope in 2023. He has a lot of positive playing, and also has some negatives. The Bucs need to make a really good and strategic pick at 19. Ezeirakua would be great to get!
April 21st, 2025 at 4:51 am
Build the trenches first. Edge and DT in the first 2 rounds.
April 21st, 2025 at 4:53 am
Story of your life huh madmax??
April 21st, 2025 at 5:37 am
Campbell did not have a formal interview with the Bucs. Only one ILB had a formal, that was Knight from SC. Bucs needing an ILB you would think they would’ve had more than one player in. Bucs did have 8! corners in for formals. The next most was 3 positions, and another area of need safety, again only player in for a formal. So if the Bucs were to draft Campbell, or any ILB they’re not showing their hand. They didn’t bring safety Starks in, or the S.C. kid? Both by the way also mocked to the Bucs. Strange don’t you think?
April 21st, 2025 at 5:45 am
His surgically repaired shoulder worries me to no end!
April 21st, 2025 at 6:04 am
Gut feeling is that JL’s pick at #19 will have a ton to do with who DOESN’T get picked in the first 18. If other teams have by-passed a certain position of need for us and there’s a top pick (starter-ready for his position) just sitting there, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see JL grab that player.
Personally don’t see our #19 pick being an ILB. I’m hoping it’s one of the Top-3 beastly DT/NTs so that we can solidify the DLine, but I’d be happy with a high quality Edge or CB.
April 21st, 2025 at 6:30 am
Winning in the NFL is done in the trenches.
But no team does it woth a lot of injuries.
Tampa has too many injury occurrences. Avoid that kind of risk.
April 21st, 2025 at 6:37 am
Not worth the risk.
April 21st, 2025 at 6:50 am
Can’t afford to gamble with pick 19! If we trade back a few picks and he’s still there…then maybe yes??
April 21st, 2025 at 7:11 am
Devin White 2.0
April 21st, 2025 at 7:48 am
Many of these mocks look kind of the same but there’s always two or three teams that pick some guy that the so-called gurus have mocked much lower. Sometimes it’s a bad pic and the team reaches but other times that player ends up being much better than anyone thought. Calijah Kancey comes to mind. Other teams are going to be doing this so who knows if Campbell will even be available to us. Should be interesting on Thursday.
April 21st, 2025 at 8:22 am
I read 4 articles yesterday stating Campbell was a perfect fit for their team. Maybe we should wait and see.
April 21st, 2025 at 8:24 am
It’s very alarming about his shoulder. I’ve been trying to read as much as I can about it. I feel like if his shoulder wasn’t a big deal then the Campbell camp would be out telling everyone he’s good to go … but it’s been the opposite. Not a word about it … not good
April 21st, 2025 at 8:36 am
Drafting a linebacker with a bad shoulder is like drafting a QB with a bad arm, a running back with a bad foot, and a wide receiver with bad hands. Don’t do it!
April 21st, 2025 at 9:08 am
Toopanga….
You better go back & research Emmanwori’s stats last year saying he’s not a ball-hawk…
Dude had 4 INT’s and 2 of them brought back to the house!!!
Great numbers for a safety!!!
Like I said, Lichts gonna grab NICK EMMANWORI at pick 19 if he’s still there…
Can address ILB later on…..The kid from Ohio State is one to keep an eye on for day 3 draft picks at ILB..
April 21st, 2025 at 9:20 am
No peanut brittle, draft a slab of beef in the 1st.
April 21st, 2025 at 9:22 am
Taking an off-ball LB in the 1st Round with a shoulder injury seems like a terrible idea.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:08 am
If Jahad Campbell is the pick and we *don’t* trade down, I’ll be pretty upset. I get the potential, but we need players who can contribute *right away*. If Licht moves back and still lands him, that’s easier to accept — it all depends on who’s still on the board. But spending a top pick on a linebacker with a lingering shoulder issue? That’s a tough sell. It’s like buying designer shoes when you need cleats — flashy, but not what you need on game day. Early picks should be plug-and-play guys, not medical question marks. Just not in love with this one, especially if healthier or more NFL-ready talent is still sitting there. Also I personally like Stutsman, Bassa, and Martin later feel they have just as much upside potential.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:30 am
It’s just way too risky at 19.
You build the trenches in the first round. Period.
If you have a QB then you follow the Philly route.
Our O Line is deeper now. Opeta is even back.
If it’s not a D Lineman I will be surprised.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:56 am
It’s simple, where do the Bucs struggle, middle of the field, and getting the QB on the ground. Campbell can help with both of those. We are not just drafting for this year, but for years to come, and Campbell gets to spend at least a year with LVD. JL should go for it. I will say it again, the Titans did it with Jeffrey Simmons with his injury and he has been a beast
April 21st, 2025 at 11:26 am
Groundhog Day.
Draft the groundhog.
April 21st, 2025 at 12:25 pm
Interesting. I just saw on ESPN where Jalon Walker (their #6-overall prospect), played 300-snaps at OLB, 200-snaps at ILB, & 50-snaps at Slot Corner last season. No wonder it always ‘seemed-like’ he was all over the field, every-time I watched UGA play last season… It was because, HE WAS. Just turned 21. A natural born LEADER and ELITE athlete. VERY intelligent and well-spoken (unlike DWhite). 4.5/40. 4.0 student. Son of a Coach. Butkus Award Winner (‘runner-up’ in HS). The perfect LVD replacement & perfect situation learning alongside of him, while keeping him rested AND young. If he slides (doubtful, but possible) to Miami at #13… Then, go get him and take Ramsey off their hands while you’re at it! I’m all for it.
April 21st, 2025 at 12:34 pm
I saw on another publication, where they had the Ravens only having to give up a very late 3rd & a very late 4th (which number-wise, minus the growing number of “comp picks,” really comes out to being much more like a 5th), in order to move-up 8-SPOTS from their #27 to the Bucs #19. I’ve been estimating/thinking for well over a month now, that teams won’t be getting the ‘big-haul’ returns for their ‘first-round’ picks in this draft, as they have in the past. And, it ‘looks-like’ that is holding true… At least, on this particular mock trade using the “Rich Hill” scale (that I’ve never heard of before). I’ve never used any ‘science’ or scale with any of MY ‘mind-trades’ before (obviously, neither do A LOT of NFL teams LoL)… I’ve always just gone by MY ‘feel’ of what seems fair for both teams. I guess, by using whatever context I’ve gathered in my head based off of history, through the years!? I’ve never even looked at one of these cards, lists, scales, or whatever it is you want to call them, whether it be Jimmy Johnson, or now Rich Hill (wasn’t he a pitcher for the Rays?)… I mean, wouldn’t they vary year-to-year, based on the overall talent level of the draft, by position, & etc.? If you’re not getting the value in return by ‘trading-down’ this year, when compared to previous drafts, then it only makes sense to take advantage, by ‘trading-up’ and grabbing a talent such as Walker (if he falls).
April 21st, 2025 at 12:34 pm
BuckyBuc Says: “Devin White 2.0.”
Devin did help us get a SB. His foot and groin injuries came later. I am not completely pro Campbell. His shoulder injury gives me a pause but am not tossing the idea out the window yet for a later round pick once Licht vets his injury.
April 21st, 2025 at 1:02 pm
I would take both Walker & Ramsey in a heartbeat, if given the chance. And, I don’t agree with not needing a LB. If Reddick doesn’t work-out (or even if he does and THEN we can’t afford him), if Dennis turns-out to be just ‘injury-prone’ AND LVD gets banged-up, has an ‘off-year’ and decides to retire, then at the very least, we head into the next season in all-out, FULL desperation-mode at LB. Lots of “ifs” and lots of reality. I don’t believe you’re finding any LB’s in the later rounds either, who will contribute much of anything for at least 2-years… Unless, you just get lucky! Jalon Walker (and Jalen Ramsey too, as far as that goes, especially over a ‘rookie’ DB), will at least be an immediate contributor and make some type of impact. A ‘high floor’ and someone you can trust. It’s win-now’ mode. We have a window here, that needs to be taken advantage of. If you can ‘trade-up’ for a talent like Walker (a very impressive individual, with leadership traits), & without having to give up a huge haul of picks in return, you do it. Landing both Walker & Ramsey, probably makes the Bucs an immediate, LEGIT Top-7 or 8 Super Bowl ‘favorite’ at a minimum. Now, that’s a REAL shot!!!!