Eagles Urged to Draft ‘Do It All’ LB Alongside $51 Million All-Pro Zack Baun

Facing the Philadelphia Eagles defense in 2024 must have seemed like stepping into your own, personalized horror movie from which there was no escape — just an infinite number of sequels with the exact same outcome.

By the time the Eagles were up 34-0 on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans, the defensive unit seemed more like the football versions of Freddy Kreuger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, mowing down a succession of quarterbacks like doomed summer camp counselors and without a Final Girl anywhere to be found.

In 2025, the Eagles might need to add a new, younger villain to join those ranks, with ESPN’s latest mock draft predicting the defending Super Bowl champions will select Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell with the final pick of the first round.

“Combining Campbell with Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean at the second level would make defensive coordinator Vic Fangio smile,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. wrote on April 15. “Campbell does it all. He finished last season with 112 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and an interception. This Super Bowl-winning defense saw a lot of turnover earlier in the offseason, but Campbell has the toolbox to contribute in multiple ways.”

Devastating Playoff Injury for Dean in Playoffs

The impetus on drafting a plug-and-play linebacker became more pronounced when Dean tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in an NFC Wild Card Round win over the Green Bay Packers on January 12. The recovery on a fully torn patellar tendon is similar to a torn ACL — anywhere from 6 to 12 months.

“Not only will the knee injury keep Dean out of Philly’s 2024 postseason run, but the third-year LB faces a long recovery ahead as he will likely miss the start of the 2025 season,” NFL.com’s Michael Baca wrote. ” … Dean suffered the injury early in the second quarter while bringing down Packers tight end Tucker Kraft behind the line of scrimmage, his second tackle for loss of the night.”

That Dean was making a big play when he got hurt should have come as no surprise. Dean had a breakout year in 2024 — his first season as a full time starter — with 128 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1 interception, 9 TFL, 4 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Campbell Could Be Philly’s Next Young Star

Campbell, 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in a scary 4.52 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. In Philadelphia, he would get the apprenticeship of a lifetime next to Baun, who signed a 3-year, $51 million contract on March 10 after earning NFL All-Pro honors for the first time in 2024.

Campbell would also fit perfectly with Philadelphia’s nucleus of young defensive stars that includes All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter (third season), edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. (third season) and cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell (second season) and Cooper DeJean (second season).

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is on a heater right now with Carter (No. 9 overall) and Mitchell (No. 22 overall) in the first round of the last 2 drafts. Carter might already be the NFL’s top interior defensive lineman and Mitchell was good enough as a rookie the Eagles didn’t blink an eye letting 6-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay leave in free agency.