MARRIOTTSVILLE, Md. — Chance Campbell is on the verge of living out his dream. The Ellicott City native has his name in next week’s NFL Draft.
"It’s like kind of surreal. It’s super close. It still feels far away," he said. "You try to not count the days because then it kind of makes them go a little bit faster. It’s kind of like Christmas on steroids."
How long have you been waiting for this moment to arrive?
"A long time. Probably since I started playing football and then probably even a little bit before. Coming up close to 20 years."
A 6-foot-2, 240 lb. inside linebacker, Campbell played high school ball at Calvert Hall. He started his college career at Maryland before playing last year at Mississippi where he led Ole Miss with 109 tackles, 12.5 of those for loss. He added six sacks and tied for third in the country recovering three fumbles.
He feels he can bring plenty to an NFL team.
"A lot of production. Anywhere I’ve been I’ve produced a lot. That’s been fun to be able to show in the Big Ten and SEC."
Chance grew up rooting for the Ravens. He said he has met with them a couple times during the pre-draft process. The possibility of getting picked by the hometown team has definitely crossed his mind.
"The idea of putting on purple, running out in Baltimore, that’s pretty crazy," he said.
He plans on watching the draft at home with his immediate family. He is hearing he could be picked anywhere from early on day two to late on day three. It doesn’t matter when he’s selected or if he signs as an undrafted free agent contract. He just wants to hit the field and make an NFL roster.
"I’m going to end up in the right spot and it’s going to be with the right program, the right club, and then at that point it’s on me to go play ball. That’s all you can ask for."
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