Philadelphia Eagles fans are pretty happy with linebacker Jihaad Campbell as the team's first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft so far.
Campbell had over 80 tackles and filled in nicely for the injured Nakobe Dean at the beginning of last year to prove that he can be a starter in the NFL, but what if that hadn't happened? Bleacher Report writer Gary Davenport redrafted the 2025 class, with Campbell going to the Buffalo Bills at 30th overall, leaving the Eagles to roll with Minnesota Vikings guard Donovan Jackson at pick 32 instead.
"The Eagles don't necessarily have a dire need along the offensive line—or really at any position for that matter. But Howie Roseman has long had a reputation for hoarding talent in the trenches on both sides of the ball—a proclivity that has served him well in the past.
The Eagles appear set at guard with Tyler Steen and Landon Dickerson. But when you're a team with Super Bowl aspirations that likes to run the ball, depth on the interior is a good thing—and Jackson is arguably the best player available at this point."
Would Donovan Jackson have been an upgrade from Tyler Steen at right guard?
If the Eagles had selected Jackson instead, that might have put Steen on the bench after he had waited to replace Mekhi Becton the previous season. Jackson was highly regarded as one of the top offensive linemen in the draft last year and ended up starting for the Vikings last year.
It was a good start to Jackson's career as he allowed 26 pressures, five quarterback hits, and two sacks in 468 pass-blocking snaps. Steen would allow 36 pressures, one quarterback hit, and two sacks in 589 pass-blocking snaps.
The biggest issue with Steen was that he struggled with penalties as he was called on nine while Jackson got four. Steen showed a lot of promise in his first full season as the starting right guard, but had inconsistency issues in the lineup.
Now, what would have helped Jackson is that Dickerson was banged up last year. Having a reliable backup there might have moved Jackson to left guard, and Dickerson could have rested in more games to heal, but ultimately Jackson would have played right guard, as Dickerson is a Pro Bowl-caliber talent when healthy.
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Both guys would have had their own struggles at the position no matter who was in there, but Steen most likely ends up being the better choice to be the starter over Jackson...for at least 2025.
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