Iowa LB Jack Campbell catches Dolphins fans’ eyes

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As Miami Dolphins fans awake on Saturday morning, with more NFL Combine to go, it’s natural that wishlists have been made across the social-media verse. While Miami is without a first-round selection, they’ll make their initial 2023 draft pick at No. 52.

In what’s excellent news for the Dolphins, and fans who understandably have newly found fandom in the prospects they covet to land in Miami, positions of need such as inside linebacker, tight end and running back seem to be plentiful in the areas where they select.

In the top 85 picks, Miami has three (No. 52, No. 77 and No. 84), which all could be perfect spots for their needed positions.

Again, they’re out of the first round, but with at least four quarterbacks, and several players from already accounted-for positions like wide receiver, edge and defensive tackle likely off the board in the first 31 picks, the Dolphins are in a solid spot based on their vacancies to land a plug-and-play starter.

Miami is very thin overall at linebacker and can use a pure-inside “Mike” style man-in-the-middle, and while many Dolphins fans have one in mind, No. 52 may be a tad too late for combine stock-riser in Iowa’s Jack Campbell.

Prior to the combine, Campbell was inside of the top-100, and a third-round mock-drafted player from analysts like Chad Reuter of NFL.com. As his mid-February three-round mock played out, and ironically, Reuter had Campbell’s name fictionally called by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 83, one slot before Miami’s pick at No. 84.

Campbell is a hard-nosed, tough inside linebacker who can start Week 1 for any team in need. Miami is certainly one of them, and while his numbers at the combine arguably move him into the top three or four at the position, he just may have spiked his value to creep up into the early portions of the second round, if not higher.

As per his number at the combine and the Next Gen Stats they produced, he was first among linebackers in Athleticism Score at 89, fifth in Production Score at 74, and third in overall Total Score at 82.

He clocked a 4.65-second 40-yard dash, a 37.5” vertical jump, 10’8” broad jump and a three-cone drill of 6.74 seconds. These numbers match with what is on tape from his years at Iowa, and that’s his physical, clearly athletic and much-needed cerebral play with his high football IQ.

At 6-foot-five and weighing 249 lbs, Campbell has great length and could be a captain-quality player in the near future. Miami’s new defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, would have a perfect pupil in Campbell.

As social media indicated, Campbell is becoming rather popular on social media.

Now, of course, it’s very likely that Campbell now can move into a top 40 area, and if Miami is serious about him, there could always be the possibility of a trade-up. However, with limited picks in 2023, general manager Chris Grier may have to work some slight magic to position himself for a chance to make Campbell a Miami Dolphin.

Perhaps Grier can call upon a team with a surplus of picks, cap room and a need for a veteran player with which the Dolphins can assist. If Campbell clears the first round, Miami should do anything in its power to move up the 15-20 slots to select this potential difference-maker on defense.

Yet, if a team sees crystal-clear potential in the Iowa Hawkeye and calls his name in the first round, at this point, it’d come to nobody’s surprise, as he’s looking like a bullseye pick.

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