Eagles trade up for Camden native Jihaad Campbell in the NFL Draft’s first round

Everybody should get a moment like Jihaad Campbell To have millions of people experience it with you has to be wild The University of Alabama linebacker and South Jersey native was picked by the Eagles in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night To say he was excited about the selection would be a massive understatement Yet ANOTHER first-round draft pick who was recruited to Alabama by Coach Saban Nick Saban talks about what makes st overall pick Jihaad Campbell a great addition to the Eagles pic twitter com EzXAzB KaO SportsCenter SportsCenter April Campbell is originally from Erial in Gloucester Township N J and grew up rooting for the Birds When the area code appeared on his phone he had a good feeling Once I seen the number I was like Hmm pretty enthralling OK he announced in a press conference I answered it you know it s Howie Roseman Eagles general manager He was like You know what this is I was like Nah And then that s when he was like It s Howie Roseman I was about to break down man because it was just a surreal moment for me and my family Campbell listed LeSean McCoy Darren Sproles Brandon Graham Michael Vick DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin as several of his favorite Eagles players He has memories of his grandfather watching the Birds back in the Randall Cunningham days Campbell played his first three years of high school at Timber Creek Regional High School in Erial before transferring to the IMG Academy in Bradenton Fla for his senior year With the Crimson Tide he had a breakout senior season leading the group with tackles tackles for loss and five sacks over games which earned him a first-team All-SEC spot and was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award given to college football s top linebacker Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell celebrates his sack against Mercer during the first half of an NCAA college football competition Saturday Nov in Tuscaloosa Ala AP Photo Vasha Hunt Campbell went to Alabama as an edge rusher but eventually moved inside to linebacker so he matches the profile that Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio loves in that position Campbell claimed no preference for where he would line up saying he just longed to play and be a dominant force for the defense We think he is a versatile athlete who can do a lot of different things Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni stated Obviously the main thing that you see is the force that he plays with the speed that he plays with and relentless effort that he plays with and that fits on defense Several teams had concerns about shoulder surgery that Campbell had after the NFL Combine which repaired a torn left labrum he suffered this past season Roseman mentioned the Eagles had no long-term concerns about Campbell s wellbeing and didn t anticipate that he would be available late in the first round They ended up trading up one spot to select him with the st overall pick Various of the other teams may have reasons for taking other players but for us this was a real easy pick commented Roseman also revealing that Campbell was a top- athlete on the gang s draft board Really explosive member He can play inside he can be an edge rusher Just really excited to bring him back to Philadelphia Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell tackles Missouri running back Marcus Carroll during the first half of an NCAA college football meeting Saturday Oct in Tuscaloosa Ala AP Photo Vasha Hunt Other teams apprehensions seem to be the Eagles gain as particular experts saw him as an underranked option even before draft day One of my strongest beliefs about this draft If Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell falls specific band is going to get an absolute steal Extremely high upside prospect pic twitter com yJhIe ZoRg Mina Kimes minakimes April Campbell revealed he s taking his injury recovery day by day Neither he nor the association offered a clear timeline about when he ll be able to suit up for the Birds What was incredibly clear though was just how excited he was join his the squad he grew up supporting and help the try to win another Super Bowl Jihaad Campbell is soaking it all in as he joins the reigning Super Bowl champs JamieErdahl NFLDraft on NFLN ESPN ABC Stream on NFLPlus pic twitter com tgBYfvkxDN NFL Architecture nflnetwork April The post Eagles transaction up for Camden native Jihaad Campbell in the NFL Draft s first round appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY