Will Campbell claps back at critics doubting his arm size ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

LSU's Will Campbell, projected as a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has faced persistent questions about his arm length. The standout left tackle is brushing off these concerns.

Campbell, 21, is widely considered the favorite to be selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 1 pick on Thursday. Despite his ideal size at 6 feet 6 inches and 324 pounds, scouts have zeroed in on his 32⅝-inch arms and 77⅜-inch wingspan. These are shorter than the typical NFL benchmarks of 33 inches and 80 inches.

During Wednesday morning's NFL community event with the Special Olympics of Wisconsin in Green Bay, Campbell addressed the ongoing criticism:

"It's not exhausting, I've heard it since I was 14 years old," Campbell told reporters. "The school I just went to [LSU], they said the same thing. I didn't let it become a problem then, and I'm not going to now."

The arm length discussion has dominated Will Campbell's draft evaluation, with some analysts suggesting his future may be at guard rather than left tackle. Critics worry that shorter arms could make it difficult for him to fend off lengthy defensive ends at the NFL level.

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Can Will Campbell's arm length be a benefit?

NFL: Combine - Source: Imagn

Will Campbell's college performance back up this confidence. Campbell won LSU's left tackle job in August of his freshman year (2022) and started 38 games over three seasons. His durability and consistency impressed NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

"Everybody at LSU raves about him," Jeremiah said. "The group of players that have just gone right onto the field and been starters from Day 1, have never been replaced, don't miss practices, that's a very rare list of players."

Former New England Patriots seven-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins also weighed in on the arm length debate in comments to ESPN's Mike Reiss:

"It's a definite benefit. I would have taken longer arms," Mankins said. "At tackle, some of those D-ends, you look at their arms and 'holy smokes' — they're super long. You want to keep those guys away from you."

Will Campbell's team-first mentality also shines through when discussing his potential position in the NFL:

"There are teams that want to play me at guard, and I'm fully willing to do that because I'm a team guy first, and I want to win, and I want to win now," he said. "And if that means playing me at guard, me at 'X' receiver, me at tight end, that's what I'm going to do."

Campbell has already visited Foxborough and connected with new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. The two even engaged in a workout together.