For the ninth straight year, multiple Alabama players were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Linebacker Jihaad Campbell became the second former Crimson Tide star to hear his name called Thursday night when he was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 31 overall pick in the first round. Campbell follows former Alabama lineman Tyler Booker, who was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 12 overall pick earlier in the night.

Philadelphia moved up one spot from pick No. 32 to make the selection, swapping picks with Kansas City while giving the Chiefs the No. 164 overall pick in the process. Campbell joins a Super Bowl champion Eagles team that features former Alabama players, Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Tyler Steen, Byron Young, Eli Ricks and Cameron Latu.

Campbell started 21 games as an off-ball linebacker the past two years. Last season, he led the Tide with 117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss and five sacks. He also recorded a pair of quarterback hurries to go with two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and an interception.

"This guy's a great person," former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said on ABC's telecast. "People have to understand about Jihaad, he played with his hand in the dirt in high school, went to IMG, came out, was an outside backer, moved to inside backer and got better and better and better and I thought had a fantastic year this year. He has tremendous range, speed. He can play in or out. He never played behind the line before we moved him two years ago because of injuries. But he's developed into a first-round inside guy. He could be an edge rusher. This guy, I just love this pick."

Along with playing off the ball at Alabama, Campbell spent some time as an edge rusher in certain packages. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound defender recorded a 4.52 time in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine in February. He might be best suited to use that elite athleticism as a pass rusher at the next level.

Campbell signed with Alabama as a five-star recruit in the 2022 class. The Erial, New Jersey, native was rated as the No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 29 overall player in his class.

“Campbell has the build and traits of an Alabama linebacker but might need to upgrade in some areas,” NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote on Campbell’s draft profile. “He doesn’t play with early instincts or play recognition and is inconsistent in challenging blockers and leveraging his run fits. Campbell uses his speed and athleticism to help mitigate mistakes and get to the football at a relatively high rate. He’s a rangy, consistent open-field tackler who excels on third downs as a fluid blitzer and impressive cover talent.”