No Shot At Jihaad Campbell?
April 21st, 2025
NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah.
Joe and venerable JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman already have advised fans not to expect the Bucs to draft inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell at No. 19 overall on Thursday.
Yes, a shoulder surgery is a serious concern. There’s also a reality that Campbell is unlikely to be there.
NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah, the former Eagles, Ravens and Browns scout who was a college quarterback, had an interesting podcast sitdown with Mina Kimes of ESPN released today.
Jeremiah shared multiples times that he talks to many teams about how they differentiate between prospects at specific positions. That helps him set his mock draft, and refine his big board of overall player ranks.
Per Jeremiah, he’s got Campbell, the University of Alabama star, as the No. 9 overall prospect in the draft. During a mock draft exercise with Kimes, he put Campbell on the Falcons roster with the No. 15 overall pick.
Of course, the Falcons make a lot of sense. Their defense was brutal last season, ranked 23rd in the NFL. In a must-win Week 18 game with a chance to win the NFC South, Atlanta allowed 44 points in a home loss to the Falcons. Campbell is the kind of versatile talent that makes defense-first head coaches like Raheem Morris drool.
If Campbell is scooped up by Atlanta, a lot of mock draftniks will be very annoyed that Campbell didn’t land in Tampa, what many think is his destiny.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:29 am
I wouldn’t be entirely disappointed if the Bucs didn’t need to make a call re Campbell’s shoulder.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:39 am
Yep that would make the decision easy.
Then we have to hope he doesn’t haunt us for a decade.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:51 am
“In a must-win Week 18 game with a chance to win the NFC South, Atlanta allowed 44 points in a home loss to the Falcons.”
Now that is a tough loss. Defines beating yourself I guess.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:52 am
There lies the problem with predicting draft picks for teams out of the top 5. The draft NEVER plays out like fans would like or experts predict. Fun to check out everyone’s picks, but there is not much accuracy to them.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:53 am
If the Falcons take an ILB, then one way to look at it is that there’s a least one more DT brawler available for the Bucs to think about before potentially trading down… if there’s another team out there that wants to dance.
April 21st, 2025 at 10:56 am
you’d think Falcons would have been familiar enough with their own offense to avoid giving up 44 points 🙂
April 21st, 2025 at 10:58 am
They only brought one ILB in for a visit, Knight Jr.. For a team that needs ILB help don’t you think that’s odd? Only brought in one safety which we can use, and it was’nt Starks, or Imanwori. Talk about not showing your hand. First pick is Campbell, or Starks.
April 21st, 2025 at 11:27 am
We shall see… I rarely if ever have hoped Mr Ira was wrong. Hmm
Go Bucs!
April 21st, 2025 at 11:30 am
I want a big DT or a real proven Edge, not yet another rehab warrior. This is a win now situation and Jason needs to pick someone who is actually going to play. Let the dirty birds have Jihad.
April 21st, 2025 at 11:36 am
Think the bucs are high on Dennis and walker dont think they are considering Campbell at all.
April 21st, 2025 at 11:55 am
Whatever, Groundhogs. No shot, slam dunk, blah blah blah.
This Bloody Mary tasted delicious.
April 21st, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Guru?
You woke up generous today Joseph!!!
April 21st, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Bowles has done everything he needed to do this offseason to show me he is serious about winning a SB and it will all help tremendously.
The deep dive change defensively has me the most excited because Bowles is a GURU.
We said his defense was stale and he listened.
We said he was horrible at clock management and he listened.
He wanted to run the ball and he did.
I’m going to lean towards believing him.
April 21st, 2025 at 12:58 pm
Falcons will take Campbell, Green or Mykel Williams would be my guess.
Just leave Ezeriraku and the DTs alone for us.
April 21st, 2025 at 1:18 pm
Smoke and mirrors. Plus, they have the Joe’s working nonstop by constantly providing their non-medical assessment for an 8 month recovery, pushing up the loaf Grant, and highlighting every safety on the east coast. This will be a fun draft for sure. Regardless of who they pick, I bet we’ll all be somewhat happy (as long as they’re on defense)
April 21st, 2025 at 1:43 pm
You cannot be annoyed not picking a player who isn’t there
April 21st, 2025 at 1:45 pm
He’ll be off the board before 19. Beyond the first three picks in this draft, there’s very little consensus between mock drafters.
I still say, the Bucs will have a very hard time passing on Jahdae Barron if he’s still on the board at 19. Way too much SEC production to ignore and tons of roster flexibility with a guy like that in your secondary.
April 21st, 2025 at 1:57 pm
Lol the draft pundits didn’t see ATL taking Penni’s, either
April 21st, 2025 at 1:59 pm
“SC Bucs Fan Says:
April 21st, 2025 at 1:43 pm
You cannot be annoyed not picking a player who isn’t there”
Great Draft advice along the lines of “You can’t lose what you never had” (Muddy Waters song, covered by one of Ira’s favorite bands- The Allman Brothers)
April 21st, 2025 at 2:49 pm
I like Campbell, but wouldn’t be heart broken if doesn’t become a Buc. Lots of very good ILBs expected to be there in the 3rd round. Personally, I like Bassa from Oregon.
Build the trenches in rounds 1 and 2 – Edge from BC and DT (Collins from TX).
April 21st, 2025 at 3:11 pm
I remember another can’t miss Alabama prospect fell to the Bucs at 19 and never became much of anything
April 21st, 2025 at 3:21 pm
Honestly, the closer to the draft we get, the more I think we’re gonna trade back. Maybe only 4-5 spots, but trade back all the same.
I know practically nobody’s predicting that, given that Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht doesn’t usually trade picks, but the more I think about it, the more mocks I see that have all of the best targets at the positions the Bucs need taken by the time they draft at 19, and with the probability that most (if not all) of the remaining players on the Big Board will still be there five or six picks later, it just makes sense to trade back and pick up another 3rd round pick to address the needs.
Hot take, yes, but that’s what I think.
April 21st, 2025 at 3:33 pm
I think you’re talking about that tight end we drafted. I can’t remember his name
April 21st, 2025 at 3:51 pm
A few years back there was another ‘Can’t miss linebacker’, this one from Notre Dame. Top rated linebacker in the draft, Butkus Award winner, had all the measurables, was a sure-fire top fifteen pick, blah, blah, blah. Talking about Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK). Had some injuries in college that made him miss time and also a possible heart condition (later proved unfounded) that scared some teams. He fell to the second round and while he has been a decent player, nothing more than that in his four years in the league. Bucs can do better than Campbell at #19.
April 21st, 2025 at 3:53 pm
Raheem is on the hot seat for blowing a two game lead for the playoffs. He won’t take an injured linebacker in the first round.
April 21st, 2025 at 5:22 pm
Buddha Says:
April 21st, 2025 at 3:53 pm
Raheem is on the hot seat for blowing a two game lead for the playoffs. He won’t take an injured linebacker in the first round.
^^^^^^^
Yeah, and who thought they would take a QB last year?
April 21st, 2025 at 5:33 pm
If I were the Bucs, I go with BPA. They have 8 needs to fill and only 6 picks. My dream is for Jason to move down from 19 and get 2 additional picks this year. I rank the needs below. I assume that Tykee moves to safety, and the Bucs move on from Dean. I have run dozens of sims and this order seems to generate the highest grades.
1. Edge
2. Outside corner
3. Def. Tackle
4. Nickel corner
5. ILB
6. WR
7. Safety
8. Off. G/C
April 21st, 2025 at 9:55 pm
‘/Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports Jihaad Campbell (shoulder) had surgery after the combine and teams are projecting him as a PUP candidate’
I doubt he even goes in the 1st round