“If you can touch a guy from a distance, it’s always helpful, like how boxers want to touch a guy from a distance,” said Scott Peters, who is now the Bengals’ offensive line coach after one season with the Patriots. “If you don’t have the length, then you have to have the feet. Ideally, you have both. When you look at the position, for a guy at tackle, I would agree 33 is probably the cut-off point. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s an ideal.
“Given the speed and some of the issues you face with some of these rushers, it’s always beneficial to have guys that are long. There’s a premium on using your hands, using length to attack them as opposed to letting them get into your body.”
But how much does three-eighths of an inch really matter?
Campbell, of course, will say, not much at all.
“I think I’ve shown everything that I need to on tape to show that I can play tackle at an elite level,” the 6-foot-6-inch, 319-pounder said at the combine. “You can go look at my tape. There’s not one play on there where when I get beat, you say, ‘Oh, that’s because he has shorter arms.’
“I don’t have stereotypical offensive tackle arms, but I’m aware of that. And that’s something that I use every week in my game plan and my preparation to attack different defenders.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has backed that sentiment, pointing to Campbell’s impressive career at LSU. Campbell started 38 games over three college seasons, allowing only five sacks in 2,553 snaps. He also registered a 24-game streak in which he didn’t allow a sack. Campbell has proven he can pass protect and run block consistently against SEC competition.
Now, can that type of performance translate to the pros?
Of the 67 NFL tackles that took at least 500 snaps last season, only six have arms shorter than 33 inches — Falcons starting right tackle Kaleb McGary (32⅞ inches), Colts starting left tackle Bernhard Raimann (32⅞), Dolphins swing tackle Kendall Lamm (32⅝), Rams starting left tackle Alaric Jackson (32½), Buccaneers starting right tackle Luke Goedeke (32¼), and Colts starting right tackle Braden Smith (32¼).
Of the bunch, McGary was the lone first-round pick (31st overall in 2019).
Lions right tackle Penei Sewell (33¼ inches), drafted seventh overall in 2021, and Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater (33), drafted 13th overall in 2021, are two other players taken in the first round with arms on the shorter side.
Although Campbell would join a minority, there is precedent for players with his arm length.
“I think the most important thing is how you use whatever length you have,” Vrabel said.
Added Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone, “I’ve always looked at it as, ‘Do you play that way or do you play longer? Do you play to the max of what you have?’ I’ve had guys in the past that have played for me that have 33, 34 and haven’t played like that. I’ve had some guys that had some shorter arms and played like they had longer arms.
“I just think it’s something you bring up that you just want to make sure you evaluate and see if it affects the player in a positive way or a negative way.”
The measurable that might be more concerning for Campbell is his wingspan, which measured 77⅜ inches at the combine — considerably shorter than the league’s 82-inch average. Campbell’s wingspan is the shortest of any offensive tackle prospect since 2011. (Sewell’s wingspan is 80⅞ inches, while Slater’s is 80⅛.)
Still, folks around the league, even outside of the Patriots, have expressed confidence he can play tackle in the NFL.
“You have some guys that might measure with length, but they don’t play long,” Rams coach Sean McVay said at the annual league meetings. “I know Will’s been a guy that’s been talked about. He sure doesn’t look like it’s going to be an issue to me.”
Echoed Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar, “The measurable is the measurable, but when the film goes on, you don’t see short arms. You see a very accomplished left tackle that has exceptional balance and has exceptional hand placement. He knows how to use these tools that he’s given, and he’s done it at a high level from early in his career to today.”
The ongoing chatter doesn’t seem to have affected Campbell’s draft stock. Nearly every (if not all) projection has him listed as the first tackle off the board.
“For two years, nobody had any measurements on me and nobody said anything about my play,” Campbell said at his pro day. “Now, all of sudden, arm length decides if I’m a good player or not? I think it’s B.S. But any decision maker in the NFL, they don’t really care. It’s all people who don’t coach — and they don’t coach for a reason.”
More NFL Draft coverage:
Everything you need to know about the 2025 NFL Draft
Armand Membou, a right tackle, offers intriguing options for the Patriots in the NFL Draft
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang.
