2015 NFL Draft: Ibraheim Campbell, S, Northwestern

Preparations for the 2015 NFL Draft are well underway, so it’s time to continue to dive into this year’s crop of prospects and here we’ll be taking a look at Northwestern safety Ibraheim Campbell. Campbell is a well built (6-0, 215) strong safety prospect with excellent closing speed and ability to deliver bone jarring hits. Right now, he’s considered to be a top 100 prospect but I think there’s a lot of potential here to be a starting safety before too long. Let’s take a deeper look.

Campbell has a great frame to play strong safety in the NFL. In fact, he has such bulk that he could be confused for a linebacker at times while watching that game tape. Here are some traits that stand out to me right off the bat watching this guy play.

More from NFL Mocks

Positive Attributes

Clearly, Campbell is the type of player that can play deep or in the box. He’s labeled a strong safety but he’s got really nice range and I would consider playing him in a ‘rover’ type of role in the NFL where he can move around with certain players, come up in the box, stay deep in a zone, or do whatever is asked of him.

I like his versatility, but the biggest thing that stands out to me is excellent closing speed, instincts, and the ability to deliver a punishing hit. Exhibit A —

In case you didn’t see it there, the ball was jarred loose and Campbell’s hit caused the quarterback running to stop dead in his tracks. That is just an incredible hit by a talented young man.

What you are getting out of Campbell is an instinctive player who does a good job of reading the quarterback’s eyes. He had a good week of practices at the Senior Bowl by most accounts, and has likely improved his stock enough to be one of the top 6-8 safeties selected in the upcoming draft. He’s got great size, plays downhill really well, and hits like a ton of bricks. His four interceptions this past year were also a good number for scouts who might question his coverage ability due to the fact that he is so strong against the run.

Areas of Improvement

You don’t see tons of flaws in Campbell’s game overall but he at times looks like a downhill safety only. His body type lends more toward being an attacker rather than turning his hips and playing in space, especially in one-on-one coverage with a receiver, back, or tight end.

He’s a solid athlete, but how good is his deep speed? Clearly he has quickness, but can he stay with faster receivers downfield?

Bottom Line

His game isn’t flashy, but it doesn’t have to be. Campbell is a meat and potatoes kind of player who can put a lick on somebody, play downhill, and read plays quickly. He’s got to improve his one-on-one coverage but I think that can be arranged and will also depend on what scheme he gets picked into.

I think this is a late day two, early day three player who could come in and contribute for a team immediately on special teams while developing into a capable starter at the strong safety spot.

Home/NFL Draft