With the 218th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft the Detroit Lions selected Army Safety Caleb Campbell and quite possibly the best pick Lions General Manager Matt Millen has ever made, even if he is just a backup safety.
Despite his previous draft day blunders Millen struck gold here, not because of the talented player he selected but the future he gave that pick.
Campbell a cadet in the Army, will now be suiting up for the Detroit Lions instead of suiting up with a gun in his hand in Iraq thanks to Matt Millen and the Army's new rule that allows cadets to try and pursue a career in professional sports instead of serving the two years of required active service.
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The rule states that Cadets accepted into the program, "will owe two years of active service in the Army, during which time they will be allowed to play their sport in the player-development systems of their respective organizations and be assigned to recruiting stations. If they remain in professional sports following those two years, they will be provided the option of buying out the remaining three years of their active-duty commitment in exchange for six years of reserve time."Campbell will be required to do some recruiting for the Army in exchange for not being shipped out, mostly in the NFL's offseason.
When his name was finally called on Sunday, fans of all teams chanted "Ca-leb Camp-bell" and "U-S-A" in a truly heart warming moment that will forever be etched in the minds of those who witnessed it.
So thank you Matt Millen. Thank you for giving this kid a chance and a dream. You finally did right.
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4 months ago
Yeah it was a nice move by the Lions, and it was just to pick him either, this kid can play and you know an Army boy will come in there and fight his way onto that team.
4 months ago
I loved the attention Cambell got at the Draft. Good stuff.
4 months ago
What's great about this is that the player wasn't picked JUST because of the Army situation.
I saw him play, and he really was a great player. He's got the size and the ability to actually play at the next level, so this wasn't a sympathy move.
4 months ago
As a cadet at the United States Military Academy I am proud of him along with the dreams of other Black Knight football players Mike Viti, Owen Tolson and Jeremy Trimble rising to the surface within the up coming weeks.
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