The NFL combine is over, and the Patriots' media is all over the measurables issue. Combine numbers can be helpful tools in player evaluation, but if you get too enamored with any of them and either select or decline a player because of it, you are heading for a danger zone.
The Patriots, like any other NFL team, can be taken in by a flashy combine number in a drill that jumps off the page. Conversely, teams can be put off a player because he doesn't quite "measure up" to the so-called standards that NFL stat geeks use to determine "objective suitability" for NFL play.
While some aspects of the combine can be helpful, you rely on them as absolutes at your peril. Height, weight, vertical leap, and forty-yard dash times can all be beneficial, but don't overly rely on them to decide, or you'll risk your draft, your team, and your job. One of these measurables is arm length for offensive linemen. Let's look at that here for one player in this draft.
Patriots' media's harping on Will Campbell's arm length over 3/8th of an inch
A characteristically ridiculous use of a combine measurable is at work in the 2025 draft in the case of Pro Football Focus' top tackle (a left tackle) in the NFL draft, Will Campbell of LSU. Gaining that distinction from this class outfit is a true feather in any college player's cap. But so-called analysts are making a big deal out of 3/8th of an inch in his arm length.
Matt Dolloff of 985thesportshub.com had this to say about the Patriots and this issue,
"Ultimately, Campbell actually came in a little shorter than expected in the arm length category. He measured at 32 5/8 inches, after the hope was that if he couldn’t reach the 33-inch threshold, he could at least get to 32 7/8. It may sound crazy to people that aren’t as psychotic about the draft as, say, our own Alex Barth. But that quarter-inch means a lot in the ultimate game of inches."
Well, it doesn't. It's a backroom analytics attempt to be relevant in player evaluation. It's pure "baloney". For Campbell, the theory is that 3/8s of an inch, presumably times two (two arms, you know), or 3/4s of an inch total means he can't possibly play tackle in the NFL and has to be relegated to guard.
Buy that logic? There are bridges in New York City that are for sale cheap. Let's get real; this stat, as many other combine stats, must be evaluated and put in context. Many of them should then be tossed into the nearest ashcan. Whether the player can play the position or not is the operative question. Campbell can.
The Will Campbell to the Patriots situation
How might this Will Campbell "arm-length" situation impact the New England Patriots? It may not at all. The news that Ronnie Stanley of the Ravens has not been tagged means that the Patriots may be (and should be) all-in on the big left tackle in free agency. Landing him would be a coup and would alter the draft landscape.
Meanwhile, until and unless that happens, the Patriots still need a left tackle. If neither Stanley nor another top option arrives in free agency, then Campbell is the best Patriots option in the draft. The fake, headline-grabbing, arm-length issue should not deter them from drafting Campbell. (Note: if options like Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are off the board at No. 4).
If so, Campbell is the pick and immediate Patriots' starter at left tackle, the second-most-important position on the entire squad. He'll likely own that position for a decade or so. The offensive line after the quarterback is the most important unit on the team. Campbell will anchor it and be the trend-setter for that unit.
To sum up, Will Campbell is a superb offensive left tackle and will be the Patriots' best unless a Ronnie Stanley-type is on board. Even if he is, Campbell starts from Day One at right tackle on an offensive line that, frankly, in 2024 was offensive. Though he's lacking 3/8s of an inch of arm-length, Campbell to the Patriots is a great pick at No. 4, or a bit lower after a trade.