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Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46). Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

All-NFC North Team: Where Do Lions Linebackers Stack Up?

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By John Maakaron | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 5:18 PM ET

The Detroit Lions have a pair of linebackers who earned consideration for the All-NFC North team ahead of the 2025 season.

In Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell, the Lions have a pair of backers who performed at a high level throughout what was a historic 2024 season for the organziation.

When healthy, the combination of those two players and Derrick Barnes give the Lions one of the best trio of linebackers in the league. However, Anzalone missed significant time with a forearm injury, while Barnes' season ended in Week 3 with a knee injury.

Still, all the talent in the division at the position made it a challenge to determine where each landed in the voting for the All-NFC North teams.

Here is a breakdown of the top-three vote-getters at the linebacker position, with input from OnSI team publishers across the division. Chicago's T.J. Edwards finished fourth, while Campbell finished fifth.

Alex Anzalone

Since joining the Detroit Lions in 2021, Alex Anzalone has become a core player for the organization throughout its rebuild. After being mostly a rotational player in his time in New Orleans, Anzalone has stepped into a huge role in Detroit and made good on his opportunity.

The veteran had back-to-back seasons with over 100 combined tackles in 2022 and 2023, and has been a multi-year defensive captain for the group. His presence in the middle of the defense clearly invigorates the unit, as shown by the team holding Minnesota to nine points in his return from injury in the regular season finale.

Anzalone is in an interesting situation, as he did not participate in the offseason workout program ahead of the final year of his current contract. Whether or not he gets a new deal will be one of the top storylines of training camp. — John Maakaron, Lions OnSI.

Blake Cashman

Cashman was a top-20 linebacker in nearly every metric from Pro Football Focus (based on playing 50% of all snaps). He ranked 13th in overall defensive grade, 17th in run defense, 15th in tackling, 16th in pass rush, and 17th in coverage. He's a do-it-all linebacker who is the obvious head of the snake in Brian Flores' defensive scheme in Minnesota.

The Vikings went 14-3 in the regular season, but they didn't lose a game with Cashman in the lineup until Week 18 against the Lions. When he missed two games in a four-day span early in the season — a 31-29 loss to Detroit and a Thursday night loss on the road against the Rams — the Vikings were gouged over the middle of the field, where Cashman typically roams, by Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. His impact cannot be understated and he will again be the lynchpin on defense in 2025-26. — Joe Nelson, Vikings OnSI.

Edgerrin Cooper

A training camp injury led the Packers to ease Cooper, a second-round pick and the first linebacker off the board in 2024, into the lineup to start the season. Another injury sidelined him for three games at midseason.

Nonetheless, in 493 snaps over 14 games, Cooper led all NFL rookies and all off-the-ball linebackers with 13 tackles for losses. Cooper played at least 71 percent of the defensive snaps in only two games but still recorded the most TFLs by a rookie off-the-ball linebacker since Lavonte David in 2012.

Cooper earned All-Rookie honors with 77 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 tackles for losses, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. That’s with 45.1 percent playing time. Double that to 90 percent playing time, and the numbers might have been staggering.

Cooper was the only player in the NFL last season with at least 75 tackles, 13 TFLs, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Plus, he became the first player since 2000 with at least 13 TFLs and 10 tackles on special teams.

Cooper has elite speed and a nose for the ball. The expectation is a year of experience and offseason strength training will make him even more impactful. — Bill Huber, Packers OnSI.

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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