Many people were surprised when the Lions made linebacker Jack Campbell the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft and their urgency to bring him into the fold suggests that they see him moving right into a big role on their defense.
Campbell’s position coach said on Monday that things are not that simple, however. Linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard used the example of Malcolm Rodriguez going from sixth-round pick to Week One starter last year as an example of how the Lions let the on-field work determine playing time rather than how a player was acquired.
“It’s proven here,” Sheppard said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I know it’s like the right thing to say, but it is proven. We are going to play the best players. We do not care what that looks like, and when that starts top down, it’s easy for me to walk into my linebacker room after we take a guy Pick 18, because in probably 20 other rooms, that player’s starting and there’s nothing you can do about it as a position coach. Well, that’s not the case here. If Jack isn’t the top two or three, Jack will continue to go through the process of rookie development until he’s hit that mark.”
The Lions also have Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes back from last season’s linebacking corps, so there are options beyond Campbell available to the team. Those options were available during the first round in April as well, though, and the Lions probably wouldn’t have made Campbell the choice at that spot if they were convinced they were the right guys to handle the job.
