Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell’s confidence is ‘through the roof’

Tyson Campbell is one of several members of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2021 NFL Draft class that is expected to make a leap this upcoming season. Fellow cornerback and team leader Shaquill Griffin already notices a big difference in the former Georiga Bulldog in Year 2.

Griffin met with the local media on Day 7 of training camp and touched on several topics, including Campbell’s growth since the end of the 2021 season and how that’s reflected in his confidence level.

"Maturity level, confidence, being vocal. It all shows. It’s crazy how much you can learn in one year and it shows on him. His confidence level is through the roof. He’s able to line people up in positions where the position that he didn’t even play but he knows the whole defense."

Griffin later describes Campbell as a “young leader” and “someone the team can depend on”. The veteran corner also praised undrafted free agent Benjie Franklin, whom he described as “twitchy”, for how he’s been “attacking the field” and “the way he’s been practicing”. Here’s Griffin’s whole exchange with the media in case you want to check it.

Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell is poised to have an even better year

Campbell struggled early in his rookie campaign, specifically, he had a hard time turning his head and tracking the football. To make matters worse, he deal with a toe injury that forced him to sit out a couple of games. But once he returned and moved to the boundaries, he showed improvement and finished the season strong.

In fact, Campbell led Jacksonville with two interceptions last year. Based on Griffin’s comments and his performance towards the end of the year, it’s easy to see the sophomore cornerback playing even better in 2022.

Keep in mind that the Florida native only started last season because Tre Herndon suffered an MCL injury in the preseason. Had he stayed healthy, Campbell might have started the year on the sidelines.

It’s worth noting that players can have all the talent in the world but if they don’t trust their abilities, and aren’t confident enough, they’re going to struggle on the football field. That shouldn’t be an issue for Campbell, who was dubbed the Jags’ X-Factor in 2022 a couple of months ago.

Cornerback was one of the Jaguars’ strongest position groups in 2021 and the unit got significantly better this year due to the addition of Darious Williams in free agency. As Griffin said, the team can depend on Campbell and it wouldn’t be particularly shocking to see him play at a Pro Bowl level by the end of the season.