How Lions' Jack Campbell has 'exceeded' expectations entering Year 2

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard doesn’t always speak in hyperbole, but he often does when he’s talking about second-year linebacker Jack Campbell.

“Jack is one of the most coachable players I’ve ever been around in my life — and I’m talking as a player or coaching” Sheppard said at the end of OTAs and minicamp.

“I mean, you can literally tell him the sky is green right now, he’ll say, ‘Yes sir.’ I’m like, ‘Jack, no, it’s not. Why’d you say that?’”

This is one of Sheppard’s favorite things about his pupil Campbell, who was taken by Detroit with the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Among a plethora of productive rookies for the Lions last year, Campbell’s development was a slower burn — such is the nature of the linebacking position.

But with Alex Anzalone missing a majority of the offseason program, Campbell had the opportunity to lead the big dogs on the practice field. And though Sheppard had high expectations to begin with, Campbell exceeded them, with the caveat that nobody’s put on pads yet.

“It’s hard to get a full tell, obviously, physically, on the linebacker position this time of year … but he’s exceeded my expectations, which were already high,” Sheppard said. “He’s come back further along than where I expected, because you don’t have meetings during the gap from the last game to now … but this player you could tell dove right back into it and took minimum time off.

“I’m sure his fiancée hated it, but he got right back engulfed in ball and it’s paying off for him right now.”

Thanks to high-level play from Anzalone and a breakout year from Derrick Barnes, the Lions didn’t have to force Campbell out there in a full-time role before he was ready, and in some areas, he wasn’t. He struggled in coverage but proved to be a valuable player in run defense, as the former Butkus Award winner finished second on the team in total tackles (95) with a defensive snap count of just 58.5%.

“It's hard to hold off a first-rounder — a guy that gets taken first round in your room is expected to play,” Sheppard said. “Well Derrick Barnes, like I stated last year, had something to say about that. So it's not so much Jack wasn't prepared for the full load. It was more so credit to Derrick Barnes and what he was doing to allow himself to have a role.”

At Iowa, pass coverage was one of Campbell’s strengths. With his 6-foot-5, 243-pound stature and major athleticism to boot, there’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic that part of his game will come in due time, especially with his coachability.

“Now, I'm telling you, it's at another level. This guy here's operating like an eight-year vet as far as making the calls, how he sets the standard of how we practice as a defense, and I think other guys are starting to look toward him now,” Sheppard said.

The learning curve for a linebacker coming into the league is said to be massive, and it’s typically expected that Years 2 and 3 are when they take their biggest steps. That much was true for Barnes, who showed early signs of struggle, got a few more opportunities in 2022 and the following year intercepted a ball in the final drive of Detroit’s NFC divisional round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

____