The Patriots were dealt an ugly card to start the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, with the Jaguars pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Browns for the No. 2 pick to add CB/WR Travis Hunter to their roster. It was a move that many fans hoped the Patriots would engage in, but after seeing all that was given up to acquire the Colorado alum, their decision not to trade up doesn't look as bad.
They also got hit with EDGE Abdul Carter going to the Giants at No. 3, further cementing that LSU left tackle Will Campbell would be their pick. Over the past two weeks, he had become the consensus selection, filling a significant hole on the offense from the 2024 season. Because they failed to address it in free agency, the new regime was bound to prioritize the position early in the draft.
Because he plays a predominantly underappreciated position, there wasn't a lot of excitement about Campbell joining the Patriots. Despite being considered the best tackle of the 2025 class, many hoped a trade down would happen instead, mainly due to feeling that taking a tackle at No. 4 was too bold, on top of the concerns surrounding Campbell's measurements.
Those worries became a talking point since the Combine in February and remained the topic of conversation for the weeks leading up to the draft. It was a question posed to Vrabel while speaking to New England media after the pick, and fortunately, he quickly shut down that talk.
Mike Vrabel is not at all concerned about Will Campbell's "short arms"
Since his arm measurements have been the main topic surrounding Campbell heading into the draft, reporters would inevitably ask questions about it upon his selection by New England.
It was almost immediate once Vrabel appeared at the podium and he didn't shy away from reassuring the doubters that the Patriots did their due diligence and believe entirely in what Campbell will bring to their offense, with his arm measurements not at all a concern.
"Everybody has a play style, everybody has a skill set, and it's what you do within that skill set and the tricks that you learn in this business and how you play and how you do your job. I think he's learned a lot of those, to play on the left side and to pass protect."
Vrabel further detailed their reasoning for not worrying about Campbell's arm length, emphasizing how impressive he was during his college career at LSU and the confidence they have in him on game day.
"His body of work is out there on the left side against a lot of really good rushers. They're all going to get beat. We can watch every time that a left tackle gets beat. They all get beat. I've been in this league for 25 years. I'm confident in how quickly he is able to process, change, and have a lot of different pitches at such a young age."
Although it's a fair concern for anyone to have given the history at the position and those with similar measurements, it was never brought up throughout his time at LSU, and didn't deter the overwhelmingly high evaluations he received heading into the draft this year. It only became a talking point after the Combine and his Pro Day, which doesn't seem to reflect just how good he was as a left tackle.
Of course, there's a chance that won't translate well against NFL talent, but that's something we don't have to worry about until it (hopefully doesn't) happen. For now, it looks like the Patriots made a good pick and have adequately given Drake Maye the perfect protection on his blind side for the foreseeable future.