For all the things Dan Campbell’s done for the Lions since being hired as their head coach, one of the best has been establishing a certain ‘Lions’ type. He’s gotten the team to embody the same great traits of the city they play in, which any coach will tell you is much harder than it first sounds. Campbell, the Lions, and Detroit all just make sense symbiotically in a way that’s hard to describe but easy to see.
That’s why the Lions’ newest projected first round pick – courtesy of The Athletic’s draft guru Dane Brugler – is such an interesting projection. It’s not for any lack of need, but Brugler’s pick sure doesn’t exactly sound like a guy that Campbell and the Lions would jump at the opportunity to draft on Thursday night.
The Lions’ projected 1st round pick isn’t exactly the most encouraging thing you’ll read today
“The Lions have been doing their homework on Hairston, who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine and jumped almost 40 inches in the vertical at his pro day. He might not have the tackling consistency that Dan Campbell prefers, but his cover skills would upgrade Detroit’s secondary.”
Maybe I’m making way too much out of this (I definitely am) but “not having the tackling consistency that Campbell prefers” seems like … kind of a deal-breaker? My understanding of Dan Campbell’s vibes isn’t anywhere close to complete, but I do know that ‘tackling’ is a major part of it. The guy that talks about eating knee caps – in a good way – not caring whether a guy is or isn’t a good tackler doesn’t add up. Although, for whatever it’s worth, Maxwell did grow up in Michigan, and you just *know* Campbell has brought that up two dozen times to his staff.
In Maxwell’s defense, Brugler describes him as a “competitive, lanky athlete who feels routes developing around him and plays with the reactionary movements and ball skills …” and argues that “if he makes the necessary improvements as a tackler, he has the talent to become a capable NFL starter early in his career.” And at the end of the day, it’s the coach’s job to, you know, coach – so if Campbell thinks he can figure out a way to get better physicality out of a guy who projects as an early-career starter, maybe it’s not the end of the world after all.
