A prominent Alabama football defender is off to the NFL as a first-round draft pick.
Jihaad Campbell , who has started the majority of the past two seasons as a Crimson Tide linebacker, was selected with the No. 31 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles , which traded up one spot to secure the Alabama defender.
Campbell is the second Alabama player off the board in the 2025 NFL draft after Tyler Booker was selected with the No. 12 overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys .
Campbell is Alabama's first first-round linebacker since Rashaan Evans was selected No. 22 overall in the 2018 draft.
With Campbell's selection, Alabama now has nine straight NFL drafts with multiple first-round picks. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (No. 16 Baltimore Ravens ), defensive end Jonathan Allen (No. 17 Washington Redskins ), tight end O.J. Howard (No. 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) and linebacker Reuben Foster (No. 31 San Francisco 49ers ) started the run in 2017.
Here's what Campbell brings to the Eagles based on his career with Alabama:
A former five-star edge prospect in the 2022 class, Campbell moved to outside linebacker and did not really break out for Alabama until 2023.
As a sophomore, Campbell started eight of his 13 games, recording 66 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries, three pass deflections and an interception, also earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for a 10-tackle performance against Tennessee where he picked up a fumble for a score.
Campbell shined in 2024 as a junior. The first-team All-SEC linebacker and second-team All-American had 117 tackles – eighth-best in Alabama history – and led the team with 11.5 tackles-for-loss. He was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and the Butkus Award.
Campbell may look like a prototypical Alabama linebacker, but he's not a finished product.
Per NFL.com, while Campbell had "impressive production in high-impact stat columns" along with impressive pursuit speed and burst, he "lacks instincts and plays through a straw" and struggles when facing blockers attacking the run.
Campbell did not work at Alabama's Pro Day in March, and was seen wearing a sling on his left arm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH-1Sqd_AMQ
Across three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Campbell had 184 career tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks. He has two career interceptions, five pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Height:6-foot-3
Weight:235 pounds
Arm length:32 1/2 inches
Hand length:10 1/2 inches
40-yard dash:4.52 seconds
10-yard split:1.53 seconds
Broad jump:10 feet, 7 inches
Here's a look at all the Alabama linebackers who have been selected in the NFL draft since 2015:
2025: Jihaad Campbell (First round, No. 31 overall to TEAM)
2023: Henry To'oTo'o (Fifth round, No. 167 overall to Houston Texans )
2022: Christian Harris (Third round, No. 75 overall to Houston Texans)
2020: Terrell Lewis (Third round, No. 84 overall to Los Angeles Rams )
2020: Anfernee Jennings (Third round, No. 87 overall to New England Patriots )
2019: Christian Miller (Fourth round, No. 115 overall to Miami Dolphins )
2019: Mack Wilson (Fifth round, No. 155 overall to Cleveland Browns )
2018: Rashaan Evans (First round, No. 22 overall to Tennessee Titans )
2018: Shaun Dion Hamilton (Sixth round, No. 197 overall to Washington Redskins)
2017: Reuben Foster (First round, No. 31 overall to San Francisco 49ers)
2017: Ryan Anderson (Second round, No. 49 overall to Washington Redskins)
2016: Reggie Ragland (Second round, No. 41 overall to Buffalo Bills )
2015: Xzavier Dickson (Seventh round, No. 253 overall to New England Patriots)
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Jihaad Campbell NFL draft: Philadelphia Eagles pick Alabama LB in NFL draft first round
