Mock draft watch: Lions address middle of defense in Dane Brugler's 1st 2025 projections

[DSF]

The college football regular season is in the books, which means bowls and All-Star games are right around the corner. That also means draft season is in full swing. With draft season in full swing, one of the greats in the business, Dane Brugler of The Athletic, is back on the prowl after releasing his first mock draft of the season.

This draft is going to be one of the more intriguing drafts in some time. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter looks to be the favorite to be the first pick, or at least easily be considered the best player on the board. The quarterback class will fascinating to follow, as there is no clear-cut QB1 at the moment.

The Lions certainly don’t need a quarterback and obviously won’t get Hunter. But they’ll have their pick of some good talent at the back end of round one — Lions fans are hoping their pick lands at No. 32. So, which way did Brugler take the Lions in his first mock?

That would Jihaad Campbell, linebacker, Alabama.

With his do-everything skill set, Campbell’s effectiveness will be limited only by a defensive play caller’s lack of imagination. The Lions likely will have greater needs this offseason, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Dan Campbell bangs the table for this type of talent — if the Alabama product is still on the board this late in Round 1.

Campbell has 106 tackles this season along with five sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss. The six-foot-three, 244-pounder is viewed as having excellent size and speed for an off-ball linebacker and, as Brugler notes, has the talent where Dan Campbell can figure out how to utilize that talent. Draft good players is the name of the game.

It remains to be seen if Campbell will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan after Alabama was knocked out of the College Football Playoffs thanks to Clemson winning the ACC championship and SMU getting the last at-large bid. Even if he does, Campbell has posted a solid resume and has made his case for the end of the first day of the draft.

Continue reading...