“Just being at New Orleans, as a coach for that period of time and watching Kuechly out there. Now Kuechly, for a linebacker, had rare speed. But as far as all the other stuff, there’s a lot of similarities,” Campbell said, via the team’s website. “Freaking smart, he knows what’s coming before it’s there, high energy, never gets tired. Freaking runs all the way down the field, runs back to the huddle, gets everybody lined up. He’s constantly barking out communication, going after the football. You may get him once. You’re not going to get him twice. So, there’s those things that show up. They show up.”

Campbell added that his star linebacker is the heart of the team’s defense and is the glue that keeps the unit together.

“Well, I mean, I don’t know if you can put it into words. He’s extremely valuable,” Campbell said. “He doesn’t come off the field, he’s our bell-cow, green-dot. And the guy is smart and he’s instinctive and he is snap-to-whistle all-out, all the time, in practice too. And he doesn’t take plays off, he doesn’t take days off, he goes after the football, he’s a ball guy. So, he’s invaluable.”

Lions DE Al-Quadin Muhammad has quietly put together a stellar season opposite of DE Aidan Hutchinson, leading the team at nine sacks to Hutchinson’s 8.5.