Former LSU Tigers star OT Will Campbell finally silences absurd criticism as New England Patriots draft him to protect Drake Maye
Will Campbell finally silenced the absurd criticisms on his arm length once and for all on the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft.The former LSU Tigers great and the most important piece of the offensive line last season in Baton Rouge had to endure unending criticisms throughout NFL Draft season. Despite being the obvious […]
Will Campbell finally silenced the absurd criticisms on his arm length once and for all on the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The former LSU Tigers great and the most important piece of the offensive line last season in Baton Rouge had to endure unending criticisms throughout NFL Draft season. Despite being the obvious #1 offensive tackle this cycle for multiple years now, rather than focus on his talents almost every interview included questions on his arm length.
Those silly concerns can finally cease as the New England Patriots saw his arms and thought they were just fine. It's official. Will Campbell will be heading to Foxboro as the New England Patriots selected him with the fourth pick overall.
For those unfamiliar with typical arm lengths for offensive tackles, most NFL teams like to see their tackles with 34-inch arms or longer. Will Campbell's arm measurements throughout draft season have varied between just under 33 inches and nearly 33 and a half inches. Yes, that comes in under the historical threshold for offensive tackles, but it certainly didn't hurt him at LSU.
Campbell allowed just four sacks on over 2500 career snaps for the LSU Tigers, proving to be one of the best offensive lineman in the sport three years in a row. It wasn't until late last fall that NFL Draft folks began mentioning Will Campbell's arm length as potentially being a problem.
Still, at the time Campbell was locked in to be a top five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft because he had been just too good throughout his career. Unfortunately critics began the nonstop arm length noise once the end of the season hit.
By the time the LSU Tigers pro day came around Will Campbell was clearly fed up saying, "For two years, nobody had any measurements on me, and nobody said anything about my play. So now, all of a sudden arm length decides if I'm a good player or not? I think it's BS."
The New England Patriots obviously don't believe the arm length will be anything to worry about at all as they selected him fourth overall in the NFL Draft. And despite the "consensus" draft projection for Will Campbell slipping a bit this spring, reality and common sense ended up winning the day.
The Patriots almost certainly plug him in at his natural position of offensive tackle immediately. Worst case, even if the arm length does become a leverage issue against the best pass rushers in the league, they can move him inside to guard and he'll become a star. Will Campbell is too good not to be.
We'll be back with more LSU Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to look back on how special Will Campbell was for the LSU Tigers just check out his highlights in the video below!
