The Philadelphia Eagles feverishly tried to trade up for Jihaad Campbell in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and ultimately did so, moving up from pick No. 32 to No. 31 with the Kansas City Chiefs to select the Alabama linebacker. One of the team’s biggest stars sees why.
“He’s kind of built like Micah [Parsons] a little bit,” Eagles superstar running back Saquon Barkley said about Campbell on Monday, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’ve known Micah for a long time, so I feel like as he grows and learns the game a little bit more, you’re going to be able to put him in different spots. But just raw, uber athletic, can fly [and] aggressive.”
A two-year starter in Tuscaloosa, Campbell totaled 117 combined tackles, five sacks, 12 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one interception at Alabama last season. Campbell, a five-star recruit, grew up in Erial, New Jersey, located roughly a half-hour east of Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles.
Campbell joins a burgeoning Eagles linebacker room that includes Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean, who totaled a combined 279 tackles last season, with Baun earning All-Pro honors.
“Super raw, like freaky athletic,” Barkley said of Campbell. “He’s going to be a problem, a real big problem for a lot of guys in the league who have to go against him and block him.”
As for Barkley, the running back is coming off a historic debut season with the Eagles, becoming the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in the regular season, while going on to set the new record for combined rushing yards in a single season (2,504 rushing yards in the regular season and postseason). Meanwhile, Parsons, a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, has registered double-digit sacks in each of his four seasons in the sport but recently requested a trade from the Dallas Cowboys amid a breakdown in extension talks.
The Eagles and Cowboys open the 2025 regular season against each other on Sept. 4 in Philadelphia.
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