The Patriots enter the 2025 NFL Draft with a giant question mark atop the left tackle column of their depth chart, and their potential top pick might not provide the desired answer.
After the Patriots make their pick at No. 4 overall, that question mark will only be replaced by a name written in pencil, if NFL evaluators who spoke to the Herald this week correctly predict the team’s selection at No. 4 overall.
NFL scouts and executives polled by the Herald expect the Patriots to select an offensive tackle – specifically LSU’s Will Campbell – with the fourth pick in the draft.
“Seems like Will is their guy,” an AFC scout said.
An AFC pro scouting director and AFC assistant general manager both expect the Patriots to take a tackle.
While one NFC scout believes the Patriots should trade back, he acknowledges it’s not a realistic scenario given the dropoff in talent after the 1-2-3 run on Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. If stuck at No. 4 overall, he would select Campbell, even if the LSU product winds up at guard.
That’s the risk in taking the Louisiana native. He fills a major need, no matter where he plays on the offensive line, but he’ll be much more valuable as a tackle. The concern with Campbell is his arm length. His arms measured 32 5/8 inches at the combine and 33 inches at his pro day. His wingspan – 77 3/8 inches – ranks in the 7th percentile of all offensive linemen and the lowest percentile of tackles.
There are believers that Campbell can play left tackle in the NFL, though.
“The only thing to suggest he can’t is the length,” an assistant director of scouting said. “So I say let him try it and prove that he can’t. I think he’ll ultimately be able to do it.”
“I do and think he will be a good pro,” an AFC director of pro scouting said. “Safe pick.”
An AFC pro scouting director added: “Not elite, but yes, he can start at tackle.”
An AFC assistant GM agreed: “To what level is the question. But yeah, there are guys with his measurements who play.”
Even former Patriots center David Andrews brushed off the length talk, calling it “bull—-” Thursday night at a fundraiser benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
One AFC pro scout believes Campbell is a “well-rounded player” with “no glaring weaknesses.”
Not everyone is sold. One league source wouldn’t take Campbell fourth overall, citing doubts he can stay at tackle, and views Ohio State’s Josh Simmons (if healthy) as the better prospect at the position.
The Patriots are not in an ideal spot. They have the fourth overall pick in what many view as a three-player draft. They’d be in a phenomenal situation if they were picking fourth last year, with Joe Alt, Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze available as blue-chip talents. But their decision to take quarterback Drake Maye last season is still the correct one. The Titans have seemingly decided that Ward is worthy of the top pick this year. One top evaluator I spoke with last month considered Ward to be more comparable as a prospect to Bo Nix or Michael Penix than Maye or any of the other top three quarterbacks in last year’s class.
It’s better for the Patriots to end up with Maye and Campbell than with Alt and Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, or Tyler Shough.
Taking Campbell is also an easier pill to swallow because there’s no sure thing available at a position of lesser need.
“That is a tough spot,” an NFC executive said. “Possibly move back and take a pass-rusher or maybe Tyler Warren. There are options, but that No. 4 spot is a tough one to be in.”
Campbell is a great athlete with prototypical size (6-6, 319) for a tackle but lacks length. Another tackle, Missouri’s Armand Membou, exclusively played right tackle in college and also lacks length. He’s 6-4, 332 pounds, and his 33 1/2-inch arms rank in the 26th percentile of tackles. Georgia edge defender Jalon Walker is a tweener at only 6-1, 243 pounds and also lacks length with 32-inch arms. Warren, a tight end out of Penn State, and running back Ashton Jeanty both lack ideal positional value at No. 4 overall. Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan looks like a potential “X” wide receiver, but he doesn’t come with elite speed or separation.
Defensive tackle Mason Graham would fill a need, but stop me if you’ve heard this already, he’s undersized and lacks length. The Patriots also already have defensive tackles Milton Williams and Christian Barmore locked up to deals worth a combined $47 million in APY. Taking a defensive tackle at No. 4 overall pours unnecessary resources into one position.
If Campbell is indeed the pick, it’s not a sexy one, it’s not an unexpected one, and it’s not an overly fun one. Patriots fans will be torn on whether or not it was the right decision. It doesn’t even necessarily fill the Patriots’ biggest need at left tackle. He’ll need to go through OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the preseason before the Patriots ultimately decide if he can stick at the position. And if he has to move inside to guard, sure, that fills a need, but it reopens the biggest one: protecting Maye’s blindside. And guard lacks ideal position value at No. 4 overall just as much as running back and tight end.
But if Hunter and Carter are off the board, and if a team has no desire to give up draft capital to move up to No. 4 overall because of the lack of ideal options, then what are the Patriots supposed to do? They can’t suddenly manufacture the perfect 6-foot-6 offensive tackle with 34-inch arms and an 84-inch wingspan. They can’t fire up Madden and create a 6-foot-5 wide receiver with 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed.
So, the best option is to look at the list of players available at No. 4 overall, none without their flaws, and pick the one with the best chance to fill their greatest need. Enough people around the league believe that’s Campbell.