Calais Malik Campbell ( ; born September 1, 1986) is an American football defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Early years
Campbell played his high school football at South High School in Denver, Colorado. Widely regarded as one of the nation's top defensive end prospects, he was ranked as the tenth-best strongside defensive end by Rivals.com and the seventh-best defensive end by Scout.com. He amassed a state-record total of 57 sacks in his career at South High School.
In addition to football, Campbell also starred on the school's basketball team; averaging 22.7 points (fourth best in Colorado), 16.0 rebounds per game (led the state) and 3.3 blocks per game, he was an All-State basketball selection as a junior. Campbell also competed in track & field at South, qualifying for the state meet in the discus and shot put in 2003. His track-and-field personal bests: in the long jump, in the shot put, in the discus and in the triple jump.
Campbell chose Miami over Colorado State, Nebraska, Louisiana State, Michigan, Oklahoma, and San Diego State.
College career
After redshirting his first season in 2004, Campbell became a starter at Miami in the 2005 season. In 11 games, he recorded 24 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defensed. In the 2006 season, he had 55 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, four passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. He recorded at least three sacks in a single game on three occasions in the 2006 season. In his final season with the Hurricanes in 2007, he had 50 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, three passes defensed, and one interception, which came against Marshall in the season opener.
Collegiate statistics
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals selected Campbell in the second round (50th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. Campbell was the sixth defensive end drafted in 2008. The Arizona Cardinals had no immediate need for a starting-caliber defensive end, but chose to make a value pick and draft Campbell after he unexpectedly fell out of the first round and was considered the top player available at the time of their selection.
2008 season
On July 24, 2008, the Arizona Cardinals signed Campbell to a four-year, $3.40 million contract with $1.68 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $484,500.
Campbell entered training camp slated as a backup defensive end and competed against Bryan Robinson and fellow rookie Kenny Iwebema for a spot in the rotation. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt officially named Campbell a backup defensive end to start the regular season, behind veterans Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith.
Campbell made his professional regular season debut in the Cardinals' season-opener at the San Francisco 49ers and assisted on a tackle in their 23–13 victory. The following week, Campbell collected a season-high four solo tackles in the Cardinals' 31–10 victory against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. During Week 16, Campbell tied his season-high of four solo tackles during a 47–7 loss at the New England Patriots.
Campbell completed his rookie season in with 28 combined tackles (23 solo), a pass defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and zero starts.
The Cardinals finished atop the NFC West with a 9–7 record and qualified for a playoff berth in 2008. On January 3, 2009, Campbell appeared in his first NFL playoff game and made two combined tackles during a 30–24 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Wild Card Round. The Cardinals reached Super Bowl XLIII after defeating the Carolina Panthers 33–13 in the NFC Divisional Round and defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 32–25 in the NFC Championship. On February 1, 2009, Campbell appeared in Super Bowl XLIII and recorded two combined tackles as the Cardinals lost 27–23 in a closely contested match that was decided as time expired. Campbell finished the playoffs with eight combined tackles (seven solo) and a pass deflection.
2009 season
On February 9, 2009, head coach Ken Whisenhunt fired defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast due to the defense's inability to hold onto a 23–20 lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIII. Campbell entered training camp slated as a starting defensive end after Antonio Smith departed for the Houston Texans during free agency. Defensive coordinator Billy Davis opted to switch from a base 4-3 defense to a base 3-4 defense. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt named Campbell the starting left defensive end, opposite Darnell Dockett and alongside nose tackle Bryan Robinson, to begin the regular season.