The New England Patriots drafted left tackle Will Campbell with the fourth pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Campbell was from the SEC and had started all three of his college seasons, including his freshman season. Yet, at the time, his arm length was trashed by critics as 3/8" short.
Campbell had a solid rookie season, and only an MCL injury that put him on injured reserve for weeks seemed to derail his progress. While he had his poorer moments as most rookies do, he was doing just fine until the injury sent him to injured reserve and impacted the rest of his season.
Regardless, inveterate critics will seize any opportunity to criticize, and his subpar post-injury performances upon his return to action were met with scrutiny. While it was clear that his so-called "arm-length" issues had no impact on his later games, it seemed a convenient avenue to criticize the 22-year-old rookie.
Recently, on The Ross Tucker Football Podcast, Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas rubbished any idea that Campbell's arm length impacted his sub-par Super Bowl performance.
Hall of Famer Joe Thomas debunks criticism of Will Campbell
Joe Thomas, a Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle and one of the best to ever play the game, defended Will Campbell's Super Bowl performance on The Ross Tucker Football Podcast, adding sound analysis to the off-base criticism of the rookie's performance in the Super Bowl.
“The problem in the Super Bowl had nothing to do with arm length. It was the timing of his kick set and the timing of his feet as it relates to the player he was trying to block. It was off, and I think that was part of the injury he sustained during the year.”
Who better is there to trash the criticisms of the New England Patriots' left tackle Will Campbell's Super Bowl (and it can be applied to his other post-injury performances as well) than one of the greatest ever to play the left tackle position in the NFL, Joe Thomas?
Campbell had some problems, as any rookie does, and most rookie NFL left tackles do, especially against the Browns' Myles Garrett. Yet, generally, his play was solid - until the injury.
He, like his quarterback Drake Maye, was clearly impacted by injury late in the season. One injury amplified the other, and when your two most important positional players are dinged up, it makes a huge difference, as was clearly seen in the Super Bowl.
Hats off to Joe Thomas for stepping in and providing solid analysis by debunking the ongoing arm-length issue. He told observers exactly what was going on with Will Campbell during the Super Bowl.
On the bright side, Patriot Nation should expect a healed, better, stronger, and more schooled version of Will Campbell in 2026 playing left tackle, right where Mike Vrabel says he will.