DETROIT LIONS SELECT RB JAHMYR GIBBS (#12 OVERALL) AND LB JACK CAMPBELL (#18 OVERALL) WITH THEIR FIRST-ROUND PICKS OF THE 2023 NFL DRAFT
Allen Park, Mich.— The Detroit Lions selected RB Jahmyr Gibbs (12th overall) and LB Jack Campbell (18th overall) with their first-round picks of the 2023 NFL Draft.
2023 DETROIT LIONS NFL DRAFT QUOTE SHEETS
Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Scottie Montgomery and Lions Linebackers Coach Kelvin Sheppard were available to the media following each draft selection. Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager Brad Holmes was available to the media following the conclusion of Day 1 of the NFL Draft. In addition, both Gibbs and Campbell were available to the media via Zoom. The following are quote sheets with excerpts from their media sessions.
LIONS FIRST-ROUND DRAFT SELECTION (NO. 12 OVERALL) RUNNING BACK JAHMYR GIBBS DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM)
April 27, 2022
On his conversations with Detroit leading up to the pick and his emotions when the Detroit Lions called: “It was conversations, we had great conversations, on how versatile I was, on different ways they could use me, different ways they could get me the ball too. All the conversations we had was great. I really got along with the coaches well. The emotions? Yeah, I feel great. Didn’t know I would get picked as high as I did because you know running backs don’t really get picked as high, in this new age-era of NFL Draft. Yeah, it was pretty shocking to me. I’m grateful for the city of Detroit.”
On his thoughts of joining Detroit’s offense and what he can bring to Detroit: “Yeah, I think I could bring a lot of things to the city of Detroit. They have great playmakers on the team already. (Lions WR) Amon-Ra St. Brown, (Lions RB D’Andre) Swift, (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo, (Lions QB) Jared Goff, he’s a vet, he knows what he’s doing. Everyone knows what they’re doing. I just think I could bring another element to that team and we could be the best offensive team in the League.”
On what it means to be picked so high and to be coming into the Detroit Lions running back room: “I appreciate the (Lions Principal) Owner (and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp), the coaching staff for having that trust in me. I’m going to do everything in my power for the city of Detroit, for our football team to live up to expectations.”
On if this was the perfect fit for the type of running back that he is: “I think it’s a great fit for me. They use (Lions RB D’Andre) Swift. They put him in the slot sometimes, too. Obviously, he’s in the backfield a lot as well. I just think I’ll be—I come in, whatever role they have me I’ll excel in that.”
On where he saw himself getting drafted: “I mean, I thought like in the twenties. That’s where they usually are, like running backs. So, I was still just talking to my friends, then the call hit me, and I was shocked. Yeah, I thought the twenties really.”
On knowing Lions WR Jameson Williams and how their speed can complement each other: “Me and (Lions WR Jameson Williams) him both in the field. I think it would just be a dynamic piece. Speed kills, both me and Jamo in the field, it’s like kind of pick your poison on what do you want to do, because we can both make explosive plays in the passing game and in the run game.”
LIONS FIRST-ROUND DRAFT SELECTION (NO. 18 OVERALL) LINEBACKER JACK CAMPBELL DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET (VIA ZOOM)
April 27, 2023
On his communication and connection with Detroit in the pre-Draft process: “I had the opportunity to have a formal interview with them at the Combine and I thought it went very well. The whole coaching staff, especially (Lions Linebackers) Coach (Kelvin Sheppard) Shep who’s going to be my position coach now, just outstanding guys and I feel like (they’re) great human beings and great leaders. That’s something – I’m excited to play for guys like that, especially (Lions Head) Coach (Dan) Campbell, what he’s done to the culture, I feel like, in Detroit. I’m excited to step foot in there and be the best version of Jack Campbell I can be every single day.”
On where he thought he would be drafted and who he thought would select him: “Honestly man, right now, I’m just living in the moment and I’m a Detroit Lion, and that’s the only thing that matters to me. I’m so proud to be able to represent this organization on the highest stage. I’m so excited to step foot in the building and get ready to work. Everything kind of flew out the window and I’m a Lion and that’s the only thing that matters. I’m so damn proud to be a Lion.”
On his takeaway from his meeting with the Lions at the Combine: “What I took from it was, ‘Man, those guys are all about football and performing at the highest level,’ and that’s something that I love. I kind of just stepped foot in there and talked X’s and O’s, but also, they asked about me as a human being, my family, the people who are around me, Iowa. And man, I’m so appreciative to be able to represent Iowa moving forward, but at the same time, I’m so excited to get into Detroit, where I know it’s only about football and football is the only thing that matters. I’m going to go in there and just try to learn from the veterans and learn from this coaching staff and let’s get Detroit where they belong.”
On what unique thing he thinks he can bring to Detroit: “I just feel like I’m going to bring Jack Campbell. For me, just a humble guy ready to learn. When I step foot on the field, man, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got every single snap, and I feel like that’s what you’ve got in me. A good human being who’s always going to put his teammates first and come in there ready to work, ask no questions, roll up my sleeves and get the job done, no matter how long it takes. I’m just excited to be in Detroit, and man, I’m honestly just ready to get there right now. I’m super appreciative just for the opportunity, first and foremost.”
On how he spent his day leading up to his selection: “It was hard to sleep last night, but I’ve just been back home in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with just my closest family members. I just kind of kept it small, lowkey, and just kind of want to enjoy it. Just kind of who I am as a person. I’ve just been spending the day just messing around outside. I kind of was just anxious, so I was kind of moving around and couldn’t sit still. Just being around the people I love and who have gotten me to this point, and I wouldn’t be here without them today. I also wouldn’t be here without Jesus Christ in my life, my Lord and Savior.”
LIONS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS SCOTTIE MONTGOMERY DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET
April 27, 2022
On newly selected Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs: “First thing that we try to do in evaluating, especially when you are taking a guy in this round but all rounds, you want to make sure you do the character evaluation. The first thing you say is that he’s a fantastic young man that we’re bringing to Detroit. We just really, really liked him from a character standpoint. It stood out not only at the Combine, but it also stood out when we had a chance to sit down and talk and meet with him. So, from that standpoint, just starting there, he not only checks the boxes there but he’s been phenomenal throughout this process. The second thing you can talk about – now you’re starting to talk about the football part of it, right? The first time I had a real chance to talk to him, I was really, really impressed with his overall football IQ, his understanding of protection, and how to get to it. We’ll work on certain things there of course, but I was really, really impressed with him and how he moved through understanding the rules of protection. He’s been coached really, really well. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect not only for both programs he was at, but mainly the running backs coaches that had him, (Texas Running Backs Coach) Tashard Choice and (Alabama Running Backs Coach Robert) Gillespie. A tremendous amount of respect for the way they coach. I know both of those guys. When you move into the football part of it, elite short-area quickness, great contact balance. A weapon not only from the backfield, but he can also do things on the perimeter. Probably what’s most impressive about him is that he is a guy that can carry the football in multiple schemes and run the ball well. His burst, it shows on tape of course. But you see some of the things he does that’s just natural that happens. He was very, very consistent if you look at the tape from Georgia Tech moving onto Alabama. One thing that you see is he’s very tight on his tracks, which means that he was always where he was supposed to be. That’s really, really important as we look at continuing to look at the process. I think he’ll continue to grow. Even his speed grew as you look at his miles per hour on the field. He continued to mature. He’s 21 years old, so he’s still got a long way to go in the maturation process, but hopefully, we can assist him to speed that up as fast as we possibly can.”
On how Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery can complement each other: “You know I think both of them have the ability to catch the football and both of them have the ability to both run the ball from the backfield. So, when you get guys with that capability at both backs, now there’s things that you can do with having them on the field together. You can have either one on the field and feel really confident about playing these guys on multiple downs, so there’s not one situation where we say, ‘OK, this guy’s going to take you to the ball if he’s in. OK, this guy’s going to take you to the ball if he’s in.’ They can do it all first, second, and third down, so they will complement each other. The one thing that I like about this match though is that David, he’s a veteran player. He’s had a lot of carries. He understands the NFL, he understands professionalism. Now, you bring in a great character guy and you build with another great character guy. There’s a great learning experience for both of them really in that process, so we’re blessed from that standpoint. That doesn’t shock me with (Lions Executive Vice President) Brad (Holmes) and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) and what they’ve preached since I first got here. It’s been very clear that there was a process that they wanted to stay in. They identified players. They’ve done a very good job for our room, not only for our room, but for this entire organization.”
On the impact Lions first-round draft selection (12th overall) RB Jahmyr Gibbs can have in the passing game: “Well, I think you’ve got to look at it several ways. He’s bringing a value also in the passing game that’s a large, large value. Then you add that to what he can do from a dynamic standpoint and in the run game, and at the end of the day it is about value. It’s one of those situations where you looked at it and as (Lions Executive Vice President) Brad (Holmes) and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) looked at it, there was a value that they saw in this young man. There was a value that they saw in him, and we made the decision to go get him. That value is on the player and what it can mean for our team. We placed a high value on what he could do for our team from an explosive standpoint, creating more explosives, but not being limited to creating those explosives in the running game. So, he’s a guy that’s probably in my opinion is the best space player in this Draft, and what he can do with the football. There’s a tremendous amount of value for him as a football player and not only as just a back.”
On how running backs can keep defenses on their toes by being interchangeable: “Well, I think you just hit it, you answered it for me there a little bit, it will keep people honest. But the bigger part of all of this too is, look, we play 17 games. Everyone knows that in a 17-game process, you get banged a little bit. You might be able to play all 17 games, but the best they’re going to feel is right now. So, as we move through the season and it becomes week-to-week, I think those guys being able to do both, we can lighten the load. We can raise the load, whatever kind of how (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) see it. I think that helps us and it helps the room as we continue to move forward.”
On what stood out from Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs’s character in the evaluation process: “During this process, what we found out, what I found out, we all have different ways that we grow up. I’m not going to speak on his family experience, his family experience is his family experience. He’s come through it, and he’s continued to get better. When you talk to his coaches, they continue to talk about how he was able to come into the University of Alabama and not miss a beat because there are certain standards that are different from school to school. They did a good job at Georgia Tech of holding the standard. When he went to Alabama, he had to hold another standard. He was able to do it. And just listening to him and talking about what he values, a lot of times you don’t have to ask questions in this Draft process. These players will either show you what they value, or in some way it’ll come out what they value. Then I always like to look on Draft night to see the people around him. Tonight, he had both parts of his family with him. That made me feel really good because those were the people that were with him the whole time, and at this point in time they’re still there and he still believes. He’s working really hard. But that character did show up on multiple occasions.”
On which other player he sees parts of Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs’s game in: “You know, the non-coach in me, yes. There’s several people that may have similarities that are not just like him. The coach in me just says let’s just wait until I can get my hands on him, then I’ll be able to give you a better opinion in like 15 years.”
LIONS LINEBACKERS COACH KELVIN SHEPPARD DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET
On his impressions of Lions first-round (18th overall) draft selection LB Jack Campbell from the Combine and the Draft process: “Well, obviously as a positional coach I do tons of these interviews with guys. I do informal, formal, Zoom, all different variations of interviews and there’s a couple guys during this process that kind of stuck with me like, ‘Oh, wow,’ And Jack was at the top of that list. Like when he left out of the room me, (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell), (Lions Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG, looked each other and was like, ‘Damn that’s going to be hard to top right there,’ Because it was just exceptional. His knowledge of the game speaks for itself. It shows on the tape. But it’s the passion that I don’t know if people are quite ready for. He was literally just crying in tears. I’m still fired up about it. Just fired up for the opportunity to coach a player of that caliber.”
On the ceiling for the size of an athlete like Lions LB Jack Campbell: “I mean the athlete, I think everybody sees that. That’s stuff that I don’t try to dive too deep in because it speaks for itself. It’s exceptional what this player can do at his size. But for me, it’s really the thing that jumps him above some other guys in my opinion is his passion for the game. The way it drives him. You see it, he speaks it, he lives it. He’s not one of these guys that when things are good, he’s up. He’s up all the time because he loves it. And I think that’s what makes him special, and what kind of pushed him up, I know in my mind above some of the other guys, who might have had same talent and or was kind of in the same bucket of people. To answer I know you and the previous one I spoke on, he is a Detroit guy. Like he is a (Lions Head Coach) Dan Campbell guy, he is a culture fit immediately. He was a captain, I actually was just joking with him on the phone, (Green Bay Packers DE) Lukas Van Ness we had on the top 30, and I thought that he talked more about Jack on his visit than he did about himself. That resonated with us because that’s a guy that just went top 15 tonight as well, that spoke glowingly about this player as a leader and the things he brought to their team.”
On what made Lions LB Jack Campbell a suitable draft pick at 18th overall: “I can’t speak as far as the actual positional value on which we pick a player. I leave that stuff to (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes). But I know this is a player I had pegged at the top of the linebacker category, group, you know how that falls on the overall board – like I said that’s up to the front office. But I know we were very high on this guy, both as the position coach and as a total defense.”
On trading down in the Draft and picking a potential second-round pick based on mock draft: “Well you all know that I’m brutally honest and I played linebacker, and there’s been a knock on this position for a long time, as far as the value of it. So, from that standpoint you know I’m excited. As a former linebacker of that fraternity of guys to see a guy go and the position be valued. But man, I just can’t speak to what I think this player is going to bring, not only as a player but as a person in the locker room, in the linebacker room. I think this it’s going to be exactly what we need as a team and defense.”
On Lions LB Jack Campbell’s ability to play any of the linebacker positions: “I know, I cross-train them all. Like (Lions LB) Derrick Barnes, (Lions LB) Malcolm (Rodriguez). It’s not like, in today’s football it’s, mostly nickel with two linebackers out there. You have to be able to operate at both spots, change the motion, and things like that. So, in my opinion, we wouldn’t have taken that player there if we didn’t feel that way. It’s definitely some versatility there. How much, I don’t like to speak on it until I see him on this level against this caliber of players. But he’s a guy that we could align in multiple places, yes.”
LIONS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER BRAD HOLMES DRAFT DAY 1 QUOTE SHEET
April 27, 2022
Opening Statement: “We’re absolutely thrilled with how tonight went. You guys have heard me talk about it in the past with free agency, maybe in the Draft, there are favorites that arise. We feel like that’s what we got tonight. We couldn’t be more excited, two really impact players on both sides of the ball. Starting with (Lions RB) Jahmyr (Gibbs), he was definitely a guy that we had identified early on in the process. I really just kind of saw him for the first time really when I went to the Texas-Alabama game and just kind of – he just kind of stuck with me since then. But you know, it’s like a handful of favorite players in the Draft. Some of those guys were taken before we were able to pick, but Jahmyr was certainly one of those guys. We were just thrilled. He’s very explosive. He’s a weapon. Obviously, he can do it all as a runner, but what he can do as a receiver and a lot of other things. So his versatility, what he’s going to bring to the offense, we’re really excited about. And then (Lions LB) Jack (Campbell), he’s another one that just became a favorite. First time looking at Jack, I kind of thought, ‘OK, I’ve seen these kinds of linebackers before.’ He’s big and he’s a plugger, but actually no he’s not. The more you look at him, the more athletic his traits came out and became very, very visible. Then you start looking at the athlete, the numbers he’s produced in terms of top five athletic categories among all the linebackers in this year’s Draft, and for a 6’4.5”, 250 lb. inside linebacker, that was pretty impressive. We’re not even getting into two-time captain, we’re not even getting into extremely instinctive, extremely smart, extremely physical, very versatile, he can do it in the run game and the pass game. Again, we’re just ecstatic about both of those players. We had a really, really good night.”
On the perception of running backs and off-ball linebackers not being as highly touted in the Draft: “Yeah, just like I told you guys in the past, they’re football players. If you believe that they have an impact for you on the field, then you just go ahead and take them. That’s just – starting off with (Lions RB) Jahmyr (Gibbs), even when we had six and 18, obviously we had thoughts of maybe at 18. But we didn’t feel great about it, and so when we were able to select him at 12, that’s when all the texts started coming in of, ‘Oh, would’ve been gone by 15.’ Just a lot of picks, a lot of people saying they want to trade up, they want to get him. I wouldn’t have felt good about him staying at 18. But again, it’s not just about, ‘Don’t pick a running back,’ because that’s not really how we view him. Then it’s the same thing about, ‘Don’t pick an off-ball linebacker.’ That’s not really how we view (Lions LB) Jack (Campbell). So, if you put them in boxes on a sheet of paper and you run mock draft analytics, yeah you can come up with the stats. But all the hours and research and all the time that we put in in terms of what we can get from these players, it becomes very visible what kind of impact that they can bring. If you look at the totality of the Draft, when we selected Jack, he was our highest-rated player that was left on the board. It was actually by a good margin. So, you can look at positions and all that kind of stuff, but especially in this Draft if you try to get cute and say, ‘Oh, well let me get’ – no, there is no whatever you would tab as a premium position. ‘Oh, you better get a pass rusher. Oh, you better get a tackle.’ No, that’s not what the case was. We had him as the highest-rated player and the same with Jahmyr, Jahmyr was the highest-rated player. So, we just take the best players for us. I’ve always said that’s what we’re going to do, and we find players that fit us and what we’re about, what we’re about as a culture from a culture-standpoint, from a character-standpoint, from an intangible standpoint, from an intelligence standpoint. The talent is one thing, but these players fit us. That’s why we’re thrilled about them.”
On selecting an Alabama player at No. 12 overall in consecutive drafts: “Yeah, I really didn’t put the two 12s together. Good job. But no, obviously that’s one of the most respected programs in college football. I’ve got a ton of respect for (Alabama Head) Coach (Nick) Saban and what he does down there. You kind of know what product that he’s putting out, what kind of football player he’s putting out. It just so happened to be that he was one of our top players that we really, really liked. I’m just glad that we were in a position to get him. That’s a tough conference to play in. The type of production that he was able to get coming from just Georgia Tech year one at Alabama, he made his presence felt early and had a really good year. But we’re extremely excited about him.”
On the process of trading back from the sixth-overall pick: “Yeah, we had some calls out. We had some things kind of lined up in case it didn’t fall the way we thought with the pool of players that we were considering at six. So, you just kind of have to do that preparation. You just never know how it’s going to fall in terms of who is going to – you can have things lined up, but most of this is contingent on players that are going to be available. It’s never really a sure thing. But it really just happened to work out perfect when we made the trade with Arizona. Everybody’s board is different. Everybody’s roster is different and has different needs, looking for different things. It doesn’t always line up that way, but it happened to line up tonight. It worked out well.”
On if they took any calls about the No. 18th-overall pick: “No. We didn’t get much action at 18, we just kind of stayed. But I would say we didn’t really even think about getting out either. As soon as we saw what kind of the grade we had on (Lions LB) Jack (Campbell) – I was more excited just to actually get the guy at 18. Yeah, we could’ve got cute and tried to trade back and all this stuff, but no. There was a different level that was going to start after you pass on him. We just felt really, really good about it. It was really kind of a no-brainer really. Had a good feel that he would’ve been there, but we just didn’t want to mess around.”
On if he had to trust his values more so with these picks: “No. Just like I say all the time, I do respect the mock drafts. I understand that people put in a lot of work and a lot of time into those things, but like I told you guys last time when I was up here before the Draft, the same people that are putting together those mock drafts, they’re often not privy to some information. It’s not their fault, it’s not their job. I will say all the work that’s put into the mock drafts, there’s no disrespect, but I would guarantee we put in a lot more work into that and into those players. A lot of character research, a lot of evaluations, a lot of deep digs. Again, I respect it. I look at them. They do bring value, but that doesn’t really move me. I didn’t really look at, ‘Man, (Lions RB) Jahmyr Gibbs, he’s been mocking in the 50s.’ Now that one I did laugh at because if you look at the talent of the player then you look at the totality of the Draft, I didn’t think that was remotely close. But again, I understand if you look at analytics and just numbers, again, running back – if you look at it just static and numbers and black and white, I could see how someone would come up with that. But no, when you come across a special player like that, you’re just convicted and you just get them. I hope that answers your question. Again, it’s no disrespect to the mock drafts. It’s no disrespect to the guys that everyone had in their mock drafts and stuff. Frankly, we don’t care. We feel really confident about the work that we put in and what those guys are going to do on the field. I think our fans are going to be really, really proud and really excited about what they see. I’m not saying like a year or two year, we believe that these guys are ready to go right now.”
On how the first round will setup the rest of the weekend: “Yeah it’s a very good question. Like I said last week before the Draft, this is a different draft. I’ve always said you don’t draft with a depth chart. But at the same time, you just want to get the best football players for you. So, once we made the trade with Arizona and we were able to still get 34 and still get those two players we were pretty excited. So, when the first round ended there’s still some good players that we’d be excited about. Whether we stay or not that remains to be seen. You still have the flexibility of going up or down. I think we’re in a really good spot.”
On if there is a benefit of getting an early pick on the second day of the Draft: “Yeah, I think there’s a little bit to that. I did get some calls about the back half of the first round, wanting to come up, just kind of looking at the totality of who was left. We felt pretty confident of just staying right there at 34. It is good to kind of let the dust settle. You can kind of restack it, reshuffle it, and just kind of see what really is the best move. Is the best move to see what’s available, is the best move to go up, is the best move to stay where you’re at, go down? I feel really good it’s been a while since, me personally, I was in a regime that had that pick. It’s been a minute, but we feel really good about it. We’re excited.”
On seeing any overlap with Lions RB D’Andre Swift and Lions first-round draft selection RB Jahmyr Gibbs: “Yeah, I mean D’Andre is still on our roster. He’s still a part of our team, he’s still under contract with us. He’s a dynamic football player. So, it hasn’t really changed the math there, yet. But it is early, so. It didn’t really change we just kind of put Jahmyr in his own separate box and just got really excited about the player, didn’t really have any bearing of D’Andre.”
On adding depth to the receiver position after NFL suspensions were given to Lions WR Jameson Williams, WR Stanley Berryhill & former Lions WR Quintez Cephus: “Yeah, I mean you obviously think about it when you lose multiple players at one position. It’s pretty obvious that you have to kind of be rational and be sound and look at all your options. But I tell you, that’s another thing about (Lions RB) Jahmyr, (Gibbs) is that again, I know that people put him at running back, but he does a lot of special things in the passing game. So, that’s another component that we’re really, really excited about. But yeah, you’re aware of it and it’s not overlooked.”
On seeing Falcons RB Bijan Robinson in the Texas vs. Alabama game where Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs was also playing: “I just thought that he (Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs) was so explosive, he was so dynamic. Again, I think that if you’re asking the difference between (Falcons RB) Bijan (Robinson) and (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs, I actually think they’re different players. I think one guy is probably more of a bell-cow running back, very, very talented player who’s going to be a really good player in this league and he’s make a lot of plays. But I think that our guy (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs is a very, very talented player who is going to make a lot of plays. I just think that they’re different flavors. But they were both really high impact players. But there was just something about (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs. And again, there’s something about (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs for us. It’s not about what (Falcons RB) Bijan (Robinson) would be for us. It’s about what would (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs be for us. So, that’s why we had him in such high regard.” |
