Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: ILB Jack Campbell, Iowa Hawkeyes

The Las Vegas Raiders have four linebackers hitting free agency this off-season, so the team will be busy evaluating their options via free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Raiders' defense also finished the 2022 season with four linebackers on the injured reserve list and one on the reserve/retired list.

Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler and his staff will be tasked this off-season to bring in a handful of linebackers to help improve a defense that allowed teams to come back and win plenty of games.

Meantime, we’ll be working alongside SI’s Draft Bible to get you the latest information on any potential linebacker prospects that the Raiders may consider drafting.

“We’re going to continue to find players who fit what we look for, and continue to build this team in our vision, and I think we’re going to, at the same time, our goal is to win football games, and our goal for next year is to make an improvement over where we were this year,” Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler said.

Jack Campbell, Linebacker, Iowa Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeye linebacker is a tackling machine.

The more I watch his tape, the more I see why Pro Football Focus graded Jack Campbell as the fourth-best linebacker (91.7) for the 2022 season.

Iowa LB Jack Campbell comes on the delayed blitz through the A-gap for a sack in the Music City Bowl.

Campbell was one of the best defensive players in the country this year and is a top Sr LB in the 2023 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/7A26GXl9YR
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) December 31, 2022

A true Mike (middle linebacker) at 6-5 and 246 pounds, Campbell has the potential to become a top linebacker in the NFL, despite having a second-round projection.

“[Campbell] will cover backs and tight ends in man coverage, welcoming the responsibility. Very cerebral player who will align his defensive front and linebackers. Shows understanding of formations and tendencies, repeatedly sliding his d-line to correctly counter the offense,” Draft Bible said about Campbell.

The Iowa product finished the season among the top tacklers with 125 tackles (59 solos), adding to an encore performance a year earlier when Campbell finished second with 140 tackles (57 solos).

“Expert tackler who employs precision striking and consistent fundamentals. Capable of dropping his weight and launching to win the leverage game vs ball carriers,” Draft Bible added.

Campbell is known to be a sure tackler who lacks the athletic speed many scouts want to see on defense. He’ll have a chance to improve his draft stock during the NFL Combine next month and possibly land in the hands of the Raiders on the second day of the draft.

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday, April 27, with the start of the first round. The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., ending with rounds five to seven on Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.

The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. During the time starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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