In case you have not heard, one Bucs linebacker wants to be traded out of Tampa Bay. While he may be ‘fed up’ with the team, it puts the franchise in a difficult spot.

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Do they want to pay Devin White top-of-the-market linebacker money? Or could the Bucs look to trade the disgruntled former Top 5 pick elsewhere? If he is moved, it is likely that White would fetch a Day 2 draft pick. The only problem is, who would fill his spot alongside defensive captain Lavonte David?

With David returning for at least one more season, the Bucs were hoping to put off drafting a linebacker with a high pick for at least another season. That was until the curveball White threw by requesting a trade.

Still only 25, he has the upside to remain a key piece of the defense for the duration of a new deal. His value to the organization is complicated, as he is a marketable player and captain on defense alongside David. In the past couple of seasons, the duo of David and White has been the envy of teams across the league.

Which linebackers would appeal to Jason Licht, Todd Bowles, and the rest of the organization if he no longer remains with the Bucs?

The consensus top names at inside linebacker in the 2023 NFL Draft include Iowa’s Jack Campbell, Washington State’s Daiyan Henley, Clemson’s Trenton Simpson, and Arkansas’ Drew Sanders.

Each prospect could now enter the conversation to be the next Buccaneer late in the draft process. Of the four listed, Campbell may be the most intriguing.

Not only is the former Hawkeye an intelligent player in the middle of the defense, but he has the production to back it up.

Iowa ILB Jack Campbell Had An Impressive Collegiate Career

Over the past two seasons at Iowa, Jack Campbell has made a name for himself for his eye-popping statistics. In 2021, he had 140 total tackles and two interceptions, one of which went for a pick-six. Last season was more of the same, as he had 125 total tackles and two interceptions. Up the middle, he was a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten.

Not only is Campbell a sure-tackler, but he also has great hands. Check out his read to pick off Ohio State quarterback and projected top pick, C.J. Stroud.

Standing just under 6-foot-5 and weighing right around 250 pounds, Campbell has great size for the position. He pairs that with great athleticism for the next level.

Besides his size, his athletic profile on MockDraftable.com also highlights his broad jump and 3-cone drill. The former of 128″ ranked in the 94th percentile of linebackers, while the latter ranked in the 95th percentile. Both his 3-Cone and 20-yard Shuttle of 4.24 led all linebackers at the NFL Combine.

Iowa ILB Jack Campbell Has Been Training With A Former NFL All-Pro

Yes, his speed at 4.65 is not Devin White-level. There is no replacing White’s 4.42 speed if that is the direction the Bucs go in the future. Still, there is something to say about adding another presence up the middle, and that is exactly what Jack Campbell brings on defense.

Adding Campbell to pair with David up the middle makes sense for a couple of reasons. Not only could Campbell become a captain himself (he was for two years at Iowa), but it gives him another former All-Pro to work with and have as a mentor.

He has already begun to work with one leading up to the draft, former Panther Luke Kuechly.

Kuechly may be remembered most in Bucsville as a division rival who starred in his brief eight-year NFL career. In that time, he racked up seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro nods. When he played, he was the best inside linebacker in football, and the reason David does not have more of these selections to his name.

Iowa LB Jack Campbell – Photo by: USA Today

So what does that mean for Jack Campbell? Working out with Kuechly, who was a linebacker of a similar size in his playing days (6-3, 238), means that he sees a lot of potential in him to make an impact in the NFL.

Can Jack Campbell do what Kuechly did for the Panthers? That is a tall task. But if Campbell can come in and be, at the very least, a Day 1 starter with upside, that would help alleviate a possible subtraction of Devin White.

Mock drafts have placed Campbell anywhere from going No. 27 to the Bills to as low as No. 48 to the Lions in Mel Kiper’s latest two-round mock draft.

The Bills have become a popular hypothetical destination, and LockedOnBills host Joe Marino had this to say about Campbell per Draft Network:

“He is physical when playing into the line of scrimmage and does well to stack and shed blocks while playing off contact. He processes the run game well and navigates congested areas to sniff out the ball carrier at a high level. Campbell is sufficient with shallow zone coverage drops and buzzing down in the flats—he holds his own as a hook/curl/flats defender in coverage.

“Campbell is a sufficient athlete but doesn’t have top-end range. Campbell is a smart, instinctive, and physical linebacker with top-end intangibles that gives him the makeup of a starting MIKE at the next level, but there are some minor limitations to be mindful of.”

With the Bucs having the 50th overall pick, landing Campbell may mean either trading down in the first round to select him later or trading up in the second if they want to address linebacker that early.

The Bucs may very well hold onto White for another season and let him go for a compensatory pick in a later draft after his fifth-year option. But planning ahead for his and/or David’s departure for 2024 is a route they may choose to take. Taking Campbell would signal a new era for the Bucs at linebacker, but he may usher in a new wave of steady linebacker play the Bucs have been used to having with David in the present day, and Derrick Brooks, Hardy Nickerson and Shelton Quarles in the past.