Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell is ranked as one of the top linebackers entering the 2025 NFL Draft. On Thursday night, he got to show off one of the attributes that makes him an intriguing draft prospect for teams in search of a linebacker high in the draft.
Campbell, who is entering the draft after racking up 55 solo tackles and 5 sacks in his final year with the Crimson Tide, is a 6-foot-3, 235 athletic linebackers with an explosive first step and instincts that make him a disruptive player off the edge. His rare closing speed for a linebacker will have several NFL teams eyeing him closely towards the end of the first time.
How was Jihaad Campbell’s 40-time at the 2025 NFL Combine?
How Jihaad Campbell’s 40 time compares to other 2025 linebacker propects?
At the NFL Combine Thursday night, Campbell’s best time in the 40-yard dash was a 4.52. It tied him for third amongst linebackers behind Auburn’s Eugene Asante and UCLA’s Kain Medrano who had the fastest time at 4.46.
4.52u 👀💨💨💨@RealJihaadC
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) February 28, 2025
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Here is how Campbell compared to the top linebacker prospects this year:
Player | Time |
|---|---|
Kain Medrano (UCLA) | 4.46 |
Eugene Asante (Auburn) | 4.48 |
Jihaad Campbell (Alabama) | 4.52 |
Danny Stusman (Oklahoma) | 4.52 |
Nick Martin (Oklahoma State) | 4.53 |
Carson Bruener (Washington) | 4.58 |
Demetrius Knight Jr. (South Carolina) | 4.58 |
Smael Mondon Jr. (Georgia) | 4.58 |
Fastest 40-yard dash times for linebackers in NFL history:
Player | Time | Year |
|---|---|---|
Shaquem Griffin (UCF) | 4.38 | 2018 |
Isaiah Simmons (Clemson) | 4.39 | 2020 |
Micah Parsons (Penn State) | 4.39 | 2021 |
Devin White (LSU) | 4.42 | 2019 |
Obviously, the standout player in this group is Micah Parsons who is tied with Isaiah Simmons for the second fastest time in NFL history. All the players in this group is still in the league, but Campbell is hoping to go high in the draft and have the type of impact in the league that Parsons has had with the Dallas Cowboys and Devin White with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In terms of the 2025 NFL Draft, Campbell should be on the radar of teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. Most NFL Mock drafts have him as a late first-round pick, although some mock drafts have him as high as mid-teens. Although Campbell didn’t run one of the fastest 40 times in history, he didn’t hurt his stock at all in running a 4.52.