Jack Campbell 'proud to be a Lion' after Detroit takes Iowa linebacker at No. 18 in NFL Draft

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.

"I’m just living in the moment and I’m a Detroit Lion, and that’s the only thing that matters to me," Campbell said on a Zoom call with local reporters. "I’m so proud to be able to represent this organization on the highest stage. I’m so excited to step foot in the building and get ready to work. Everything kind of flew out the window and I’m a Lion and that’s the only thing that matters.

"I’m so damn proud to be a Lion.”

Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said discussions about positional value are above his pay grade, but that Campbell is "a player I had pegged at the top of the linebacker" class. Part of the attraction, Sheppard said, is what doesn't show up on tape.

"His knowledge of the game speaks for itself, it shows on the tape, but it's the passion," Sheppard said. "I don't know if people are ready for it...like, he was literally just crying, in tears (during the pre-draft interview). I'm still fired up about it. Just fired up at the opportunity to coach a player of that caliber."

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.

More: Get to know new Lions linebacker Jack Campbell

Campbell said his takeaway from formal interviews with the Lions was that the front office has "great leaders. ... I'm excited to play for guys like that, especially coach Campbell."

From a culture standpoint, Sheppard said Campbell is a perfect fit.

"He is a Detroit guy," Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said. "He is a Dan Campbell guy. He's a culture fit immediately. He was a captain."

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