CB, Georgia
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Class: Junior
There are five or six corners that could conceivably go in the first round this year and Campbell is one of them. The Georgia corner is not the finished product by any means, but he has the ideal combination of size and athleticism. At a position like cornerback, that is bound to turn heads and Campbell offers some of the highest upside in the 2021 class.
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Strengths
Campbell enters the NFL on the back of an impressive collegiate career. He has been a starter for Georgia since his freshman year and has shown steady improvement throughout. Campbell has had plenty of exposure on the Bulldogs’ defense, with 117 career targets. He has allowed a 59 per cent completion rate throughout his career and possesses all of the traits to be a shutdown corner at the next level.
What sets him apart is his elite athleticism. Campbell ticks the boxes in almost every department, with elite long speed and short area quickness. He has fluid hips, with great change of direction ability and you rarely see him getting stacked downfield. This is all the more impressive given his size, with Campbell moving like a much smaller corner.
Another of his biggest strengths is his tackling. He makes the most of his length in this regard, but also shows great form and rarely lets players get past him. Campbell has logged just six misses on his 99 career attempts and is comfortable coming downhill and making plays against running backs.
Campbell has been a good player throughout his college career, but a big part of his appeal is his upside. Few players can match his combination of size and athleticism and he has flashed shutdown potential at times in college. He allowed fewer than 50 yards in nine of his ten games this season and gave up just 91 yards throughout the entire 2019 season. He has all of the tools to be a top tier corner in the NFL.
Weaknesses
Although Campbell has prototypical cornerback length, he doesn’t yet have the size to his frame. At just 185 lbs he is skinny for the position and will need to add some more weight in order to compete with bigger NFL receivers. He also doesn’t make the most of his length and isn’t as comfortable in press coverage as you might expect for a player of his size.
There are other parts of his game where he could stand to improve. His instincts are pretty average and you don’t often see him jumping routes or making splash plays. This is evident in his ball production, which has been an obvious weakness to his game. Campbell has just one pick on 117 targets and just nine pass breakups across his career.
His game against Alabama this season will also be a concern. Despite an impressive 2020 campaign that saw him allow just 19.7 yards per game, he had a terrible time against the Crimson Tide. Campbell gave up 162 yards on nine targets and allowed a passer rating of 146.8. Alabama admittedly possess the best receiving corps in college football, but these are the kind of players that Campbell will need to perform against in the NFL.
Bottom Line
Campbell is definitely a project player. He is a little rough around the edges, but he offers traits that few other cornerbacks can match. He has three solid years of college production behind him, with all of the tools to develop into a great NFL starter. If he can add more muscle to his frame and improve from a ball production perspective, he could be elite at the next level.
Big Board Rank: #51
Positional Rank: #6
