With the New England Patriots potentially having a franchise-altering decision to make at pick No. 4 of this year's NFL draft, recent intel suggests that both Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter could be off the board.
A likely pivot would be selecting a much-needed offensive lineman to help protect quarterback Drake Maye. The hurdle, however, is that the class's top tackle prospect, Will Campbell, has been subject to the always-interesting arm-length debate.
The former consensus All-American came in at 32 and 5/8 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine and 33 inches at LSU's Pro Day, an arm-length number widely deemed too short to play tackle at the next level. Campbell called the notion "B.S." at the showcase last month, and Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone—while not taking it that far—seems to agree that it's not the only characteristic used to scout an offensive lineman.
"I always look at it as: Do you play that way or do you play longer? Marrone, who Mike Vrabel hired back in January to New England's new-look staff, explained on Thursday. "Do you play to the max of what you have, or do you play under what you have?"
“I’ve had some guys that have had some shorter arms and have played like they had longer arms," he continued. "I just think it’s something you bring up and want to make sure it’s something you evaluate and see if it affects the player in a positive way or negative way.”
Campbell, with his 6'6", 319-pound frame, was a two-time All-SEC team member during his time in the Bayou. He played all 38 of his collegiate games at left tackle and across 1,594 pass-blocking snaps over three seasons, allowed just two sacks.
“That dude, he’s obviously been productive,” said Marrone. “I haven’t noticed it’s an issue for him at the level that he’s at right now.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Patriots' Doug Marrone Dispels Common Concern About Will Campbell Ahead of NFL Draft.