ClutchPoints
In 2025, when a defensive player, especially a Philadelphia Eagles rookie, draws a comparison to Micah Parsons, it’s a big deal.
The gold standard for both the edge rusher and inside linebacker position, Parsons can do a little bit of everything incredibly well and is currently feuding with Jerry Jones over how much that ability is worth from a financial perspective.
And yet, on Monday, Saquon Barkley, himself a former Penn State Nittany Lion, did just that, comparing Jihaad Campbell to the do-it-all front-seven player.
“Super raw, like freaky athletic. I think it’s going to be a problem, a real big problem for a lot of guys in this league. Have to go against him or block him. He’s kind of built like Micah a little bit. I’ve known Micah for a long time. So I feel like as he grows and learns the game a little bit more, he’ll be able to put him in different spots,” Barkley told Eagles reporters.
“But just raw, like uber athletic, to fly, aggressive. Probably too aggressive in camp right now, to be honest. Got to teach him to stay away from the guys in red. And knowing when to tag off and take shots. But we’d rather him be more aggressive than not.
“So it’s fun, it’s fun to get to go against him every single day. And he asks a lot of questions. He asks a lot of questions, whether it’s asking Zach and those guys, or if I might have made a move that might have worked on him. He’ll probably come up to me and say what I saw. So I’m really excited for him.”
Now granted, coming out of Alabama, Parsons was a player mentioned in the same conversation as Campbell often, but those comparisons were largely coming from talent evaluators who could only compare things from at best the sidelines, if not the stands, or even from a screen at home. Barkley, by contrast, has mixed it up on the field with Parsons often, making his evaluation of Campbell hold far more weight and Eagles fans all the more excited as a result.
Saquon Barkley has been really impressed by Jihaad Campbell
Says Campbell is still raw but that he reminds him physically of Micah Parsons
“I think (he is) gonna be a real big problem for a lot of guys in this league” pic.twitter.com/9gD7XfwUG9
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) August 4, 2025
The post Eagles rookie draws Micah Parsons comparison from Saquon Barkley appeared first on ClutchPoints.
