New York Jets Draft Profile: DT Will Campbell

As the draft inches closer and closer by the minute, we continue to review the prospects that the Jets have shown interest in. The team is not required to announce pre-draft visites that they are holding, so it has taken great work by our buddy Conor T. Orr, from the Star Ledger to come up with a working list of prospect visits with the Jets.

We refer to that list for this morning’s preview.  The Jets have invited this young man in for a workout, as well as heading out to Michigan to work him out at his school.  Clearly the Jets are high on this guy, so that makes him worth talking about in my book.  We are talking about DT Will Campbell from Michigan University.

MEASURABLES

Will Campbell measures in at 6;5″, 311 pounds.  He has no NFL Combine statistics to refer to.  Here are his statistics from the Michigan years:

Here is video on Campbell from a 2012 game against Alabama:

PROS: It seemed that Alabama handled Campbell pretty well in this game, but there still were pros and cons to be taken away from his performance. His vision/nose for the football stuck out for me first. He always has his head up, and the ultimate goal is to meet at the football. We know how much coach Ryan loves versatility, so it is exciting to see Campbell appear at various spots along the line, rather than just one. He is a “raw” pass rusher, but one with skill. There is one play where he lined up over the left side of the offensive line, and he just blows by the tackle, rendering him basically catatonic.

CONS: He has had character red flags in his past, which gives me reservation, no matter how talented the player may or may not be. He also has trouble, at times, disengaging from the blocker in front of him in order to make a play. For a big guy that keeps his balance well, I found that to be quite surprising. He doesn’t have great speed out in space, if he drops into coverage, although he can close on a QB in the backfield.

I am all for guys that are either drafted late in the draft, or not at all, making a name for themselves. Guys like that are what make sports exciting and fun. We know Rex likes versatility so he is a fan. If they grade him well enough as a 5th or 6th rounder, why not take a shot? It won’t be a huge fanicial risk.

They just shouldn’t do it to early.