Patriots' Top Rookie Already on Notice

The New England Patriots surely would have liked to have landed Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter in the NFL Draft, but falling to the fourth overall pick surely changed that.

The Patriots settled for offensive tackle Will Campbell, which, to be perfectly honest, may have been the best player they could have taken based on fit.

New England's offensive line was probably the worst in football last season, so the Pats definitely needed to strengthen the trenches in order to make life easier for quarterback Drake Maye.

However, Campbell isn't entering the NFL without concerns, as his arm length was a constant question from the Scouting Combine all the way through to draft day.

Josh Edwards of CBS Sports kept that discussion going this week, labeling Campbell as one of the rookies who had the most to prove in mandatory minicamp (which has now reached its conclusion in Foxborough).

"There was a small contingency of folks who felt Campbell's lack of ideal arm length necessitated a move inside to guard and perhaps that would allow him to reach a higher ceiling," Edwards wrote. "The Patriots have matter of factly declared that he will be their left tackle, tasked with protecting franchise quarterback Drake Maye. Campbell is an outlier in terms of his measurables and will always carry the doubt in his left tackle capabilities with him."

Campbell was widely viewed as the best offensive lineman in his draft class in spite of his shorter arms, and head coach Mike Vrabel absolutely loved what he saw from him during pre-draft workouts. So perhaps this is all much ado about nothing?

Realistically speaking, Campbell cannot possibly be any worse than what the Patriots trotted out at left tackle last season, and there stands a great chance that he could become a stalwart on New England's left side for years to come.