It was a rough debut season for Dan Campbell as the head coach of the Detroit Lions. His team finished dead last in the NFC North, ending the campaign with a 3-13-1 record. They were the last team in the league to win a game and lost multiple heartbreakers at the last second.
However, as a result of their poor season the Lions will have the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, with the Jacksonville Jaguars holding the number one overall selection for the second consecutive year. It’ll be interesting to see what the team opts to do during the offseason as they have numerous holes to fill, but head coach Dan Campbell provided a little insight into what he would like to see addressed on Saturday during the Senior Bowl in an interview with the NFL Network.
“I’m going to be as very generic as I can,” Campbell said, via PrideofDetroit.com. “Just upgrading in all areas, that’s where we need some help. Certainly, you’d like to add a receiver. You’d like to add a linebacker. You’d like to add a little depth at o-line and DB. So we’re just looking for help a little bit of everywhere.”
One player the Lions could be interested in selecting is Michigan State fullback Connor Heyward, who Campbell praised during the interview.
“I’ll be honest with you, he’s had a good week. He had a good week this week,” Campbell said before confessing his love of fullbacks. “Yeah, look, I do. They’re a different kind of breed, aren’t they? He’s a little more versatile than a true fullback, though.”
Campbell was then asked about his interest in Liberty quarterback Malik Willis and how badly he wanted to draft him.
“I’m not answering that. I’m not answering that with anybody. I’m not giving up intel,” Campbell quickly responded. “I like a lot of players here and I do like him. He’s a good player.”
It wasn’t the first time the tactician had been asked about drafting the quarterback either.
“I think he throws a nice ball,” Campbell remarked in an interview earlier in the week. “I think he’s pretty athletic, he’s built better than — from afar you don’t know. That’s why, to see these guys up close, he’s a good looking player. He’s built right, looks like he’s built to last. Shoot, he handled our playbook pretty dang good yesterday.”
Only time will tell what Campbell and the Lions decide to do on draft day, but if they are interested in selecting Willis he should be available considering the Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence last year.
Fans of the organization will be forced to watch their long-time starting quarterback Matthew Stafford play in the Super Bowl on Sunday in his first season with the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected by the Lions with the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and despite spending 12 seasons in Detroit he was never able to win a playoff game with the Lions.
Detroit Lions supporters haven’t had a whole lot to cheer about in recent years, but they are hoping that will eventually change under Campbell.
