Former Alabama LB feels NFL game is ‘slowing down’ ahead of rookie season

Jihaad Campbell is beginning to feel the NFL game slow down for him ahead of his rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Campbell put together an impressive outing in his second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns over the weekend, registering his first NFL sack to go along with four tackles, a tackle for loss and an additional quarterback hurry. A stat line like this from the former Alabama linebacker is something he was accustomed to in Tuscaloosa last season, leading the Tide defense with five sacks and 117 total tackles.

The hybrid linebacker credits his early production to the progress he’s made behind the scenes on the practice field and in the film room.

“Even in practice too, I’m always looking for ways to make progress, right, like just stacking days every day,” Campbell said to reporters. “I think that comes with understanding the scheme, understanding where is your help, understanding your assignment and to execute it. I’m just taking it detail by detail every day, and the game is slowing down for me,  just being calm as a linebacker in general.”

Campbell looks to continue his development in a positive direction with many expecting the first-round LB to be a solid contributor to Philadelphia’s defense during his rookie campaign in the NFL.