PALM BEACH, Fla. – Coming out of free agency, the Patriots still have one glaring need in their roster at left tackle.
Considering the team needs to better protect Drake Maye’s blindside, that’s an extremely important position for Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf. Considering the Patriots did not sign a veteran left tackle, all signs point to the team selecting one in next month’s draft.
This year’s pool of prospects features several prospective left tackles that come with some question marks. That includes the best consensus offensive lineman in this draft, Will Campbell.
His arm length or lack thereof has some wondering if Campbell would be better suited at guard. According to Vrabel, however, that isn’t the case. On Monday, at the NFL Annual Meetings, the Patriots coach said that Campbell’s play does all the talking.
That’s why the Patriots view the prospect as a left tackle.
“Yeah, I think you have to,” Vrabel. “I don’t understand how you can watch him play in the SEC — which is the best conference in college football, against guys that are going to get drafted at that position — so I don’t think you have to project it, you can just actually watch and say there’s the snaps at left tackle, evaluate it, and see what you think.”
The comment was revealing, but not surprising.
At the NFL Combine, multiple sources told MassLive that the Patriots view Campbell as a tackle prospect.
At this point, according to multiple sources, Campbell has fans on all different levels of the Patriots organization - front office, scouting department and coaching staff. It’ll make for an intriguing decision later next month.
Sitting with the No. 4 pick, the Patriots have a chance to add an impact player. There’s a chance a blue-chip prospect such as Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter could fall to them. In that case, it would arguably make for an easy pick. Carter is considered the top position player in this draft. Hunter is a generational talent who could play receiver or cornerback.
If both top players are gone, however, the Patriots have a shot to draft the best offensive lineman at their biggest area of need.
The Patriots have already met with Campbell, who took an official pre-draft visit to Gillette Stadium earlier this month.
When it comes to Campbell, most of the pre-draft talk has been about his measurements. A standout left tackle at LSU; his arm length has been a hot debate. After measuring at 32 5/8 inches at the Combine, his arms measured at 33 inches at his Pro Day.
At 6-foot-6, Campbell showed he was an elite athlete at the Combine in February. His relative athlete score, which scores combines testing numbers on a 1-to-10 scale, is 9.88. That ranks him No. 17 out of 1379 tackle prospects dating back to 1987.
If the Patriots do have concerns about Campbell’s arm length, they could pivot to Missouri’s Armand Membou. Considering the other top tackle prospect in this draft, Membou played only right tackle in college. His testing numbers, however, indicated he’s an elite athlete and could possibly make the switch to the left side.
Vrabel was complimentary of both prospects.
“I think they’re great young talented players that have great film,” Vrabel said. “Will’s got a lot of snaps at left tackle. Membou’s played right. There’s a lot of guys that have played right and left and switched. Those are two good young players to talk about in that conversation. But there’s others throughout the draft as well.”
Whether the Patriots draft Campbell at No. 4 or not, one thing is certain – they need to find a better option at left tackle.
Vrabel said last year’s third-round pick, Caedan Wallace, and last year’s starter Vederian Lowe could both factor into the position. The results in 2024, however, weren’t good. The Patriots allowed 52 sacks last season. That was the sixth most in franchise history and the most allowed in New England since 1999.
On Monday, Vrabel was asked if the Patriots were planning on drafting for need or the best player available.
“I just think you have to be careful. Hopefully, those two things can come together and align when you’re drafting,” Vrabel said. “But we certainly want to add premium players at the top of the draft and throughout the draft. That’s our goal.”
Campbell just might represent the stars aligning for the Patriots and their biggest need.
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