Dan Campbell ‘is not a fan’ of potential No. 2 pick

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t appear to be a fan of Oregon Ducks standout Kayvon Thibodeaux.

While the Detroit Lions are expected to go 2nd overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, it would be shocking for Oregon star Kayvon Thibodeaux to be the second player off the board, as Lions head coach Dan Campbell is reportedly not a fan of him.

In Albert Breer’s mock draft for The MMQB, Sports Illustrated’s NFL insider discusses what Detroit will and won’t do with its No. 2 pick. The expectation is that the Lions will go with an edge rusher. If former Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson doesn’t make the No. 1 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he will be Detroit’s pick. If he goes number 1, it will likely be Georgia’s Travon Walker at number 2.

Interestingly, Breer reports that Campbell isn’t a fan of Thibodeaux, as one NFL exec says “his personality is a lot” and doesn’t ideally fit the culture Campbell is trying to build with the Lions.

NFL draft rumors: Lions HC Dan Campbell isn’t a fan of Kayvon Thibodeaux

There are reasons Thibodeaux has gone from a top-3 lock in the NFL draft process to a man who could potentially drop out of the top 10. His personality traits and playing in the weakest Power Five conference didn’t help him. Even more so, players like Hutchinson had better college seasons last year. Others like Walker have elite physical attributes and have had great NFL combines.

So, even if Campbell dropped Thibodeaux, it really shouldn’t be that hard to pick the 2nd place player. If the Lions covet a pass rusher, they draft either Hutchinson or Walker. Should they want a defensive back, they could easily reach Sauce Gardner in #2. If they choose a quarterback, they can make Liberty’s Malik Willis their next face in the franchise.

While Detroit won’t screw this up, the question remains how far Thibodeaux will fall. Breer is ranked 7th by the New York Giants with their second of two first-round picks. The G-Men are in dire need of talent. If he’s the next Michael Strahan, the Giants have won the draft. The Atlanta Falcons could play at No. 8 if they choose the best defensive player available.

There’s only a handful of players Detroit could take for No. 2, and it won’t be Thibodeaux.