The New England Patriots have found the answer to arguably the franchise’s biggest hole on the depth chart. On Thursday night, the club selected LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell with the No. 4 overall pick at the 2025 NFL Draft. Campbell punches his ticket to Foxborough with the hope that he’ll be able to serve as Drake Maye’s blindside protector at left tackle for the foreseeable future.
While the 21-year-old is now officially a top-five pick, it was a topsy-turvy pre-draft process. Campbell was scrutinized for his lack of arm length, measuring in with 32 5/8-inch arms at the NFL Scouting Combine, which is shorter than a prototypical tackle at the pro level. That said, Campbell’s measurements were up for dispute as he did come in with 33-inch arms at LSU’s Pro Day. Meanwhile, Campbell logged a 77 3/8-inch wingspan, which is also on the shorter side.
Regardless of how long Campbell’s arms actually are, he downplayed their significance and how it may risk his ability to remain at left tackle in the NFL rather than kicking inside to guard as some evaluators speculate he may.
“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 a sudden, an arm length decides if I’m a good player or not. I think that’s B.S., but any decision makers in the NFL they don’t really care. It’s all people who don’t coach, and they don’t coach for a reason.”
Clearly, the Patriots are one of those teams unbothered by Campbell’s arm length, deploying the fourth overall pick with the likely intention of making him their blindside tackle. The club has seemingly been enamored with Campbell for quite a while and reportedly even traveled down to Louisiana in recent days to visit with him.
Campbell, CBS Sports’ top-ranked offensive tackle prospect in this class and the sixth-ranked prospect overall, comes to New England after a decorated career at LSU. The 6-foot-6, 319-pounder thrived while playing against NFL-caliber pass rushers in the SEC and earned first-team All-SEC the previous two seasons. Over the course of 1,508 career pass-blocking snaps, Campbell surrendered just five sacks and pressure rate of 2.5%.
His arrival is the final major piece to what has been an overhaul along the offensive line this offseason for the Patriots. While Campbell comes in as the presumptive starting left tackle, the team also added Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses in free agency to start at center and right tackle, respectively. This comes after a 2024 season where the offensive line struggled mightily and Drake Maye was sacked 34 times in 13 games (12 starts).
Will Campbell NFL Draft grade: B-
“I like Campbell, but I don’t know how good he will be at left tackle. I see him as a star guard. But I get the pick. When you have a young quarterback, you have to take somebody to protect his blindside.” — Pete Prisco
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Will Campbell NFL Draft profile
- Age as of Week 1: 21 years old
- Height: 6-foot-6
- Weight: 319 pounds
- Arm length: 32 ⅝ inches
- Wingspan: 77 ⅜
CBS prospect ranking
- Rating: 90.80 (All-Pro potential)
Position: No. 1 OT | Overall: No. 6
NFL comparison: Charles Cross
While Charles Cross was slightly less susceptible to counters than Will Campbell and a touch more light-footed, the LSU product plays with very comparable smoothness as Cross did at Mississippi State. Both tick the physical boxes to play LT in the NFL and had years of experience producing at a high level in the SEC. — Chris Trapasso
Will Campbell NFL Draft scouting report
Will Campbell is an ultra-experienced, methodical left tackle. He has an NFL-caliber frame for the position but needs to add weight and power in pass pro to his game at the next nevel. At times, his edge is too easily softened. He’s very patient and incredibly balanced in pass pro. His anchor is a weakness right now.
Outside of that, Campbell’s hand work is fine-tuned. He works defenders with both hands individually in a balanced manner and doesn’t lunge with two hands. His feet aren’t spectacular, but he’s a smooth athlete, as he routinely glides out of his stance and flows to his assignment with ease.
Campbell’s also a combo-blocking master for the run game and plays with much more power downhill than his anchoring deficiency would suggest. In pass protection, his kick slide is smooth and actually more effective than when quick-setting. Despite his mostly steady pass-protection play, he’s clearly susceptible to inside moves. Grip strength is typically a positive element to his game. Overall, this is an experienced LT with a complete game who needs to get stronger at the next level.
About
- 2023-24: Two-time first-team All-SEC
- Career: 38 starts over past three seasons
Strengths
- Smooth athleticism appears in every movement he makes on the field
- Very methodical, carries out assignments on time with authority
- Equally as good in pass pro as he is as run-blocker thanks to his size, length and tenacity
Weaknesses
- Susceptible to inside moves
- Must get noticeably stronger to deal with NFL-caliber power in pass pro
- Could get more effective in quick-setting scenarios
Combine Data
- 40-yard dash: 4.98 seconds
- Vertical jump: 32 inches
- Broad jump: 9 feet, 5 inches
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