Sam LaPorta, Jack Campbell named to CBS Sports ‘Better-Than Team’ for 2023 NFL draft
Every year there are a handful of players that NFL scouts fall in love with. Whether it be size, speed, intangibles, you name it, some players are a dream for scouts. They don’t always turn out, though. The skills and talent could be there, but they may not turn out in the NFL.
On the other hand, there are always players that have one or two limitations. It could be where they played in college, who their competition was, or how well they will translate. Each year a few of these players break all of the traditional molds and translate to the NFL exceptionally well.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have two players that CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco believes fit in the latter group of players who are better than NFL scouts rate them. The two Hawkeyes in that group are tight end Sam LaPorta and linebacker Jack Campbell.
Take a look at why these two project as overperformers and where their current draft status stands.
Sam LaPorta, TE
Syndication: HawkCentral
When you are doing a work up on a tight end, there is nothing more complimentary in today’s game than saying he runs his routes like a receiver. That’s LaPorta. Playing in a terrible offense at Iowa, due to awful quarterback play, LaPorta was still able to flash his pass-catching skills. He is a player who should be considered as the first tight end taken; that’s how valuable he will be as a receiver at the next level. He is a willing blocker, and not a bad one, but he needs to get stronger to improve in that area. But that’s not why you would draft him. You draft him so when he becomes a 75-catch tight end — which he will — you can check off that part of your offensive needs. – Prisco, CBS Sports
Jack Campbell, LB
Syndication: HawkCentral
He has all the tools to be a long-term NFL starter who makes a lot of plays. A few years ago, Logan Wilson of the Cincinnati Bengals was on my Better-Than team, and that’s what Campbell can be at the next level. At 6-foot-5 and 249 pounds, he has the size to hold up as a true inside/MIKE linebacker. He is physical, and he does a great job diagnosing plays. He was timed at 4.65 in the 40 at the combine, so the speed is solid. He can sometimes get over-aggressive on tape, which is a concern. But this is a player who will start in the NFL for a long time. He made a ton of plays at Iowa, and he will do so in the NFL for whichever team takes him. Lately, there has been talk of him potentially going in the first round. He has that type of ability for sure. – Prisco, CBS Sports
Sam LaPorta draft status
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Sam LaPorta is a bit of a mystery among NFL teams and how much they like him. His draft stock was holding at a second or third round pick for a while but has recently found its way firmly into the second round with some even believing LaPorta could go in the back end of the first round.
Jack Campbell draft status
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jack Campbell was always regarded as a second round pick at the very worst and has never seemed to dip below that. As of lately, rumblings are bubbling up from NFL circles that teams could be interested in Campbell in the late first round to lock in their middle linebacker for years to come.
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