Allen Park — Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes made it clear during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft he does not care about analyst opinions or perceived positional value.
After stunning observers with the selection of Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 12 pick, Holmes followed it up by taking Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell with the team’s No. 18 choice.
Campbell brings a gargantuan frame and elite athletic traits to Detroit’s linebacker corps. In 27 games over the past two seasons, the former Hawkeyes standout racked up 265 tackles (nine for a loss), four interceptions and two forced fumbles. He then went to the scouting combine and busted charts, running a 4.65-second 40-yard dash and posting top-tier marks in the leaping and change-of-direction drills.
Campbell joins a linebacking group consisting of returning captain Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez and Derrick Barnes. Anzalone played nearly every snap in the 31 games he’s appeared in for the Lions the past two seasons, setting career-highs in multiple statistical categories in 2022.
Rodriguez, a sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma State last year, earned a starting job out of training camp and tallied 87 tackles in 16 games.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers