Eagles plan on going Micah Parsons route with Jihaad Campbell

When Jihaad Campbell's name popped up on the screen during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Philadelphia Eagles fans scratched their heads in confusion. Campbell is a great player with tremendous upside, but did someone kidnap general manager Howie Roseman and trade up for a linebacker in the first round?

Roseman has long believed the linebacker position isn't worth using such a valuable asset on, especially a first-round draft pick. He likes to build through the trenches in the early rounds and take chances on cheap linebackers later in the draft or free agency. Take Zack Baun, for example. The Eagles signed Baun to a one-year deal worth just $3.5 million last offseason, and now he's an All-Pro. 

There had to be a reason Roseman went against his career-long strategy, and now we know what it is. The Eagles plan to hone Campbell's elite athleticism and make him a feared pass rusher for years to come.

"This is a guy who was recruited by Alabama as an edge rusher," Roseman told reporters after the first round of the draft, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Hand in the dirt edge rusher. They had some injuries at Alabama. They played him off the ball. 

"You see his explosiveness and his speed, and really, it's kind of interesting, and we talked about this a lot. You see Penn State — give them a lot of credit for what they've done. They've had guys off the ball move to edge rushers. Obviously, their last two guys who've been drafted really high (Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter), they started off the ball, and they moved to edge rushers."