Packers find De’Vondre Campbell replacement in mock draft

De’Vondre Campbell’s All-Pro season showed the Green Bay Packers why they need to take the inside linebacker position seriously.

Unfortunately, it will be difficult to re-sign Campbell this offseason due to the Packers’ salary cap mess. Campbell had a phenomenal 2021 season and should land a big contract wherever he goes.

If Campbell signs elsewhere in free agency, inside linebacker will again be one of the Packers’ top offseason needs, like it has been seemingly every year forever.

While inside linebacker has been an overlooked position in Green Bay for far too long, perhaps Campbell has shown the reason why it may be worth investing an early-round pick at the position. Finding another player on Campbell’s level is far more likely with a high pick than hoping a future All-Pro remains unsigned in June. The Packers got lucky to find Campbell in 2021.

Randy Gurzi of NFL Spin Zone has the Packers selecting Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd in the first round of his latest mock draft.

“Lloyd is a great option at this point and is a three-down linebacker,” Gurzi wrote.

If Lloyd is still on the board at No. 28, GM Brian Gutekunst should run to the podium, even if he doesn’t typically use early picks at inside linebacker.

In Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 prospect rankings for NFL.com, Lloyd is eighth in the entire class. Jeremiah wrote in the article that Lloyd has “Pro Bowl potential”, and it’s hard to disagree with his assessment.

This past season at Utah, Lloyd made 111 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four interceptions, two pick-sixes, and six pass defenses.

The Packers would be getting a player they could put in the starting lineup right away and play on all three downs.

Lloyd has the potential to be a very good starter in the NFL. If he’s there at the bottom of the first round, he could help the Packers replace De’Vondre Campbell if they are unable to re-sign him.