The New England Patriots have potentially found their left tackle of the future, selecting Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Campbell, an LSU product, was a three-year starter for the Tigers at left tackle during his time at Baton Rouge. He quickly became one of the best offensive tackles in the SEC, earning second-team All-SEC honors as a freshman in 2022. He was first-team All-SEC in his final two years at LSU, becoming a consensus All-American and winning the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2024.

As Campbell became one of the best offensive tackles in the nation at LSU, he was widely viewed by many top draft evaluators as the best offensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft. But is all of that enough to justify the Patriots' selection of Campbell? Let's grade the pick.

Grading Patriots' selection of Will Campbell

It's been years since the Patriots have made any sort of worthwhile investment at left tackle, getting the results one would expect considering how little they put into the position. They haven't drafted an offensive tackle in the first two rounds since they selected Isaiah Wynn in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, while Morgan Moses' recent contract was the first time they've spent over $20 million in total value on an offensive tackle in quite some time.

So, in some regards, seeing the Patriots draft an offensive tackle at No. 4 is refreshing, especially as they look to put the best team possible around Drake Maye. But is Campbell going to play left tackle at the next level? If so, will he even be productive at the position?

Those questions still linger for Campbell because of his arm length. His arms were measured at 32 5/8 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine, which would make his arms among the smallest for an offensive tackle in the NFL in recent years. His arm length would be in the seventh percentile of all offensive tackles if he plays the position, according to Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema. Campbell’s 9.5-inch hand size would also be in the 13th percentile of all offensive tackles.

Additionally, Campbell’s wingspan was measured at 77 3/8 inches. If Campbell plays offensive tackle in the NFL, that wingpan would be the shortest recorded for an offensive tackle at the combine since at least 1999, according to MockDraftable.

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Players with Campbell's arm length have had a tough time finding success in the NFL. There hasn’t been a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro offensive tackle with an arm length shorter than 33 inches over the last 25 years, via the data available from MockDraftable. Furthermore, eight of the 11 offensive tackles named an All-Pro since 2020 have had an arm length of at least 34 inches.

So, the cards are stacked against Campbell to be a top-end offensive tackle in the NFL because of his arm length. However, his arms were measured at 33 inches during his Pro Day in March, which would make his path to success in the NFL a little easier. Los Angeles Chargers standout left tackle Rashawn Slater has had plenty of success early in his NFL career while having 33-inch arms, so there is some precedent there.

Campbell was also highly productive in college. He only allowed four sacks and 49 pressures over 38 games, per Pro Football Focus. So, at the very least, Campbell should have a high floor considering his production in college.

Even if Campbell doesn't pan out at offensive tackle, they could surely use his high floor at guard, too. Left guard has been a position of weakness over the last few years, with Cole Strange struggling before getting injured while Layden Robinson was unimpressive as a rookie.

Still, drafting a potential longterm left guard with the fourth overall pick isn't great value. Sure, the Patriots didn't have many great options with Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter off the board, but Mason Graham was arguably the third-best prospect in the draft and could've further bolstered their defensive line. So, the Patriots get an uninspiring grade for this uninspiring pick.

Grade: C-