Alabama star linebacker Jihaad Campbell has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft after a standout junior season, he announced Thursday.
“I feel like I am ready now to take the next step in my career,” he wrote on Instagram..
Campbell is regarded as one of the top linebacker prospects in the draft class after leading Alabama with 117 total tackles while earning first-team All-SEC honors in 2024. The former five-star prospect also finished with five sacks and 12 tackles for loss while anchoring the middle of Alabama’s defense during a 9-4 season.
A New Jersey native, Campbell played sparingly as a freshman in 2022 after ranking as the No. 16 overall prospect in the Class of 2022, per 247Sports. However, he blossomed into a key contributor as a sophomore in 2023 before further developing into one of the nation’s top linebackers during his third season with the program.
“I am forever grateful to the University of Alabama, Coach Saban and Coach DeBoer for providing me with an opportunity to play the game I love at the highest levels and I am blessed to be a part of the Crimson Tide family,” Campbell wrote. “This Bama brotherhood and the bonds I have built with all my teammates is truly special.”
Campbell’s draft stock
Campbell is ranked the No. 2 linebacker and No. 54 overall player in the 2025 CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings. Coming out of IMG Academy, Campbell was regarded as an EDGE during the recruiting process. Now at 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, he could be deployed in a few different ways at the next level. He will be just 21 during his NFL rookie season and has the requisite size of a run stuffer along with the athletic ability required to handle pass-coverage assignments.
Though Campbell did not appear as a first-round selection in any of CBS Sports’ most-recent mock drafts, his status as one of the top linebackers in the class could give him a chance to hear his name called early in the draft, which is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Impact on Alabama
Campbell’s departure seemed likely given how productive he was during his junior season. Veteran linebacker Deontae Lawson is eligible to return for a fifth season, and so is former junior college product Justin Jefferson, who recorded 60 tackles in his second season with Alabama. The 2024 campaign was expected to be Jefferson’s last in college before a recent court-ruling opened the door for ex-JUCO players to extend their NCAA eligibility.
If Lawson and Jefferson return, the Crimson Tide will remain well-stocked at linebacker. Alabama also received a transfer commitment from Colorado transfer linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green last month after he earned all-Big 12 honors with the Buffaloes.
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