A lot of intriguing storylines were muted amidst the sheer shock of what transpired on the gridiron and the pageantry outside it during the Super Bowl. However, one labored football cliche resounded as loudly and correctly as ever. ‘The game is won and lost in the trenches.’ Philly dominated the line of scrimmage and emerged triumphant. Rendering even the best quarterback in the sport futile in the process. Teams didn’t need reminding, but good offensive line play is vital and will remain so perpetually. Even Patrick Mahomes can’t succeed without it. You’d think how the Super Bowl transpired should soar Will Campbell’s draft stock, arguably the best O-lineman in this upcoming draft class. However, some partisan, even borderline prejudicial reasons mean his stock sure is soaring, but in the completely opposite direction.
LSU’s Will Campbell has put on film some amazing offensive tackle play throughout his college career. He primarily plays left tackle, a position group key to the entire operation offensively. It’s always worth reinforcing how they offer protection for the blindside of right-handed quarterbacks. Quite literally their personal bodyguard from sneak attacks out of the QBs peripheral vision. They’re paid relatively better than their contemporary O-linemen too, as they deserve to be. Will Campbell was grading around a top-five overall pick about a month ago. However, things took a turn for the worse at the NFL Combine down in Indy.
Campbell’s arms measured in at 32 ⅝” inches. For context, 118 offensive linemen with sub-33” arms have been drafted in the first two rounds of the draft in the last decade. Merely 1 plays tackle. Increase the sample size to 3 decades. A grand total of zero Pro-Bowl tackles that measured in at under 33 inches in that time. It’s not a death nail, but history suggests Will Campbell’s career as an elite left tackle may be drawing to a close. Something ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller concurs with. Simultaneously, Miller acknowledges just how great a lineman Campbell is. He’s got top-end lateral quickness, a big frame and great feet. Reasons he was projected to be picked in the Top-5 before the revelation around his arm length, or lack thereof. With all this baked in, Miller has an alternative in mind for Campbell.
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Appearing over the “After Further Review: LSU” platform, Matt Miller said, “It does matter, right? A lot of folks want to say, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter.’ But there’s not a tackle in the NFL with under 33-inch arms who’s playing at a high level. It’s really rare.” No respite whatsoever for Will Campbell, who has spoken out about this ordeal and thinks it’s a load of crap. Is there an exact science to that magic 33” benchmark? Not really. But franchises seem to like tackles clocking in over that threshold, and conventional wisdom can be difficult to thwart. It’s not all doom and gloom for Campbell, though. “[Will Campbell] is probably going to be a guard. And hey, I think he could be great there,” claimed Matt Miller.
“What helps Campbell is that he’s a fantastic person on and off the field. Only 2 sacks allowed the past two years. He’s done that in SEC. If you’re a team that has a need at left tackle, there’s good tape of him playing left tackle. If you’re one of those clubs that really values arm length, then I think you have to look at him and say, ‘okay. This guy could be an elite guard,” proceeded Miler. The benefits of being an LT over a guard are straightforward. You’re more revered, more integral and chances are more wealthy as well. But being a top-end guard can get you there, too. Alas, the Indianapolis Colts may be licking their chops at the prospect of Campbell sliding through to them on draft night.
Colts may reap the rewards of Will Campbell’s NFL stock, still plummeting despite his choice words for the skeptics
For a team that’s got issues all over its roster, building up from inside out makes sense. Especially one that previously risked the no.4 overall pick on a QB based on his high ceiling and all they’ve been subjected to is his evidently low floor. The Indianapolis Colts might be in the last-chance saloon when it comes to the very punty, very ambitious Anthony Richardson experiment. Providing him with some protection to fully gauge whether he’s their QB of the future makes sense. Hence, the Colts are being projected to land Will Campbell at #14 overall.
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole conjured a mock draft with Campbell heading to Lucas Oil Field. Where, in a twistedly ironic way, the issues around his arm length initially surfaced. Stackpole said “The Colts get a steal here with Will Campbell. His 77 3/8-inch wingspan is extremely short for NFL offensive tackles, but he’s shown the ability to dominate defenders in the SEC week in and week out. Whether he stays at tackle or moves to guard, he’ll be a mainstay along the Colts’ offensive line.”
A potential switch to inside guard appears to be a theme around the media realm. It’s rational, which is why it’s so prevalent. Does Will Campbell envision himself as one? Not in an ideal world. For two years, nobody had any measurements on me and nobody said anything about my play,” he said at LSU’s Pro Day. “Now, all of a sudden, an arm length decides if I’m a good player or not? I think it’s B.S. Any decision-makers in the NFL, they don’t really care – that’s all people who don’t coach, and they don’t coach for a reason.” It’s worth mentioning a rather fascinating wrinkle in this ordeal. Campell’s arms measured at 33″ on Pro Day- because of course they did.
Will Campbell will hope the team that imminently snags him looks past the physical tangibles and believes in his skillset and sheer heart. Campbell’s final spot in the draft hierarchy will be a litmus test for whether analytics has truly overtaken more traditional yardsticks like film study, or if there’s still room for nuance.
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