NFL Draft analyst sees shades of Eagles great in rookie Jihaad Campbell
If this one turns out to be accurate, the Eagles certainly have something on their hands.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why fans, NFL stars, and the media advise against comparing young and relatively unknown Philadelphia Eagles to legends. Think about the type of pressure it creates. It's hard enough to play football being an original. Playing in someone's shadow is something else entirely.
Imagine what might have happened if Cam Jurgens had been dubbed Jason Kelce's second coming. Heck… Three years ago, Sal Paolantonio stated that Jalen Hurts and Tom Brady shared similar mindsets. People nearly went off the deep end.
Here's the catch. Comparing guys who haven't accomplished anything to established veterans can sometimes motivate if the youngster has an alpha personality. Count Jihaad Campbell in that number.
Respected draft pundit compares Jihaad Campbell to Jeremiah Trotter
One of the exciting subplots of the coming Eagles season is the continued development of Jeremiah Trotter Jr., you may have heard. He's the son of a franchise legend. Here's what's funny, though.
FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Kang recently dropped his take on one rookie on each NFL team that conjures up memories of a franchise star. He compared Philadelphia's first-round draft choice, Jihaad Campbell, to Jeremiah Trotter Sr. He lists the following as his reasoning for doing so.
"Until free agent addition Zack Baun earned All-Pro honors and Super Bowl glory in his first season in Philadelphia (earning a contract extension), no Eagles' off-ball linebacker had been named a Pro Bowler until Trotter, whose son is now on the roster. Campbell needs time to develop, but his speed in coverage and experience as a pass rusher could make him quite the weapon."
The Axe Man played 11 NFL seasons. Eight of those were spent in Philadelphia with the Eagles. During that run, he racked up 696 tackles, 11 sacks, seven interceptions, and seven forced fumbles during 116 regular-season games with 95 starts.
He stacked another 76 tackles, a sack and a half, an interception, and a forced fumble in 11 playoff games. If the skill we saw from Campbell translates to the professional level, and there is some Trotter in there, this should be fun. Fingers are crossed that the rookie gets healthy as quickly as possible.
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