Kelvin Sheppard: Jack Campbell Is 'Dan Campbell Guy'

Why Lions Jack Campbell is being compared to Ray Lewis.

The Detroit Lions stayed put with the 18th overall selection, and selected a player they'd been high on throughout the pre-draft process. 

Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell, a tall, athletic linebacker with a skillset uncommon for his position, was the pick. 

Detroit general manager Brad Holmes called him the best player available on their draft board -- and "by a wide margin." 

There's plenty to like about his skillset. He totaled 299 tackles in his collegiate career. However, what set him apart from the rest of the 2023 draft class was his performance in meeting with the Lions' coaching staff. 

"There was a couple guys during this process that stuck with me, like a lot," said Detroit linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard. "Jack was at the top of that list. I'll say when he left out the room, me, Dan and AG (Aaron Glenn) looked at each other and was like, 'Damn, that's gonna be hard to top right there.' Because it was just exceptional. 

"His knowledge of the game speaks for itself. It shows on the tape, but it's the passion, and I don't know if people are ready for it. He was literally crying, in tears. I'm still fired up about it, just fired up for the opportunity to coach a player of that caliber." 

Campbell recounted his memories of that meeting at the NFL combine. He remembered being impressed with coach Dan Campbell and the rest of the staff during their conversation. 

"I thought it went very well," the linebacker explained. "The whole coaching staff, especially coach Shep, just outstanding guys, and I feel like great human beings and great leaders and that's something, I'm excited to play for guys like that. Especially Coach Campbell, what he's done to the culture. I'm just excited to step foot in there, and just be the best version of Jack Campbell I can be every single day." 

Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell  / Joseph Cress, USA TODAY NETWORK

In addition to his prowess as a tackler, he was also a play-maker in the middle of the Hawkeyes defense. He picked off five passes in his career, and notched three sacks. 

"The athlete, I think everybody sees that, that's stuff that I don't try to dive too deep in, because it speaks for itself," Sheppard said. "It's exceptional what this player can do at his size. But, for me, it's really the thing that jumps him above some other guys, in my opinion, is his passion. The way it drives him, you see it. He speaks it, he lives and he's not one of these guys that when things are good, he's up. He's up all the time, because he loves it. And, I think that's what makes him special, and what kind of pushed him up, I know, in my mind, above some of those other guys who might have had the same talent or it was kind of in the same bucket of people. He is a Detroit guy, like he is a Dan Campbell guy."

His former coach, Kirk Ferentz, compared the talented linebacker to Ray Lewis, expressing, “One thing I'm confident saying is whoever drafts (Jack Campbell) won't let him leave the building for 10 years.”

Campbell has the potential to be a team leader and fairly quickly. 

The Lions are looking to him as an instant contributor. They recently re-signed Alex Anzalone to a three-year deal, but the team has little long-term stability outside of Anzalone and 2022 sixth-rounder Malcolm Rodriguez. 

When the Lions drafted him, there were concerns about the team selecting a linebacker so early in the draft. Sheppard, a former pro linebacker himself, wasn't concerned about the positional value. 

"I'm excited, as a former linebacker and of that fraternity of guys, to see a guy going into that position be valued," the third-year linebackers coach said. "But, I mean, I just can't speak the (value). What I think this player is gonna bring, just not only as a player but as a person in the locker room and a linebackers room, I think is going to be exactly what we need as a team and defense." 

He fits what the team is looking for from a cultural standpoint, as a former two-time captain with the Hawkeyes. 

On the field, the 6-foot-4 linebacker has the ability to disrupt passing lanes and convolute run gaps. He earned an 85.6 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus last year, plus a 92.9 coverage grade. 

As he begins his career, he's focused on making the biggest possible impact. 

"I feel like I want to bring Jack Campbell. Just a humble guy, ready to learn," Campbell stated. "When I step foot on the field, I'm gonna give it everything I've got, every single snap. I just feel like that's what you've got to be, a good human being who's always gonna put his teammates first and come in there ready to work, ask no questions, roll up my sleeves, get the job done."