ICYMI: Is Jordan Campbell the Next Bengals Future Star Linebacker?
By Sean McMahon
Now that just has to do with his character, now it’s time to look deeper into his production. While playing at NMHU, he played in 22 games. During that time, he had 214 tackles, 51.5 of those were for a loss, making him average 9.72 tackles a game. Campbell also had 17 sacks during his time there and defended 8 passes. He recorded 2 INTs, 4 forced fumbles, and recovered 2 fumbles. He led the RMAC in tackles in 2011, and led the nation in tackles for losses with 28.5 in 2011, making it a new conference record. Those are actually some pretty crazy stats while looking at them. Also, I went deeper to try and get a scouting report on him by watching tape and reading other reports on him.
Jordan Campbell possesses great athleticism and instincts in his game. He plays MLB extremely well from sideline to sideline. He has a great knack for getting to where the ball is, either allowing him to make the tackle, defend a pass, or create a turnover. Campbell also has a great deal of pass-rushing skills and has more than one move to use. He gets off his blocks and gets to the ball carrier best he can, whether plugging the hole or making the tackle. He plays with intensity and a great deal of power. He is extremely raw, however. He sometimes has over pursued the ball carrier, which he will need to control on this level of play. Also, he isn’t exactly tall or anything, almost limiting him to only play MLB. Needs to work better on his pass coverage and pad levels when on blocks. He also has struggled getting caught up in blocks by picking a side.
Overall, however, Jordan Campbell is very raw but has immense potential. His production is astounding; no matter what conference he played in. Campbell has great instincts, athleticism, and a hard worker. His work ethic is up there and he continues to push himself to the next level. I think Mike Zimmer will end up getting a lot out of Campbell, and I could honestly see Jordan Campbell end up being the starting MLB for the Cincinnati Bengals a few years from now. I’m a very big fan of Campbell and will be watching him a lot during preseason games and training camp. As one of Jordan Campbell’s mottos say: “Hard work beats talent when talent stops working hard“.
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