Report addresses Patriots' possible Will Campbell, Armand Membou NFL Draft conundrum

Analysts debating whether the New England Patriots should take LSU’s Will Campbell or Missouri’s Armand Membou with the fourth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft often note that Campbell meets the minimum arm length typically preferred for offensive tackles.

For a piece published on Friday, ESPN's Field Yates suggested some may be overthinking the matter. 

"The number of evaluators who are unbothered by Will Campbell's arm length really stands out to me," Yates explained. "I was hard pressed to find an exec or coach who doesn't view LSU's Campbell as the best tackle of this class, and those same people told me his length wasn't a concern on tape. I'm not ignoring his 32⅝-inch arm length from the combine, but most people I talked to are bullish on Campbell becoming a really good left tackle. He has excellent footwork, balance and body control to hold up as a pass protector."

It's worth noting that Campbell-versus-Membou conversations regarding the Patriots can be discarded if either Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter surprisingly falls to pick No. 4. However, recent reports have indicated that the Cleveland Browns will take Hunter at No. 2 and that the New York Giants will make Carter the draft's third choice. 

That said, The Athletic's Chad Graff linked the Patriots with Membou on Thursday, partly because Membou "was measured with longer arms and a much longer wingspan" than Campbell. Assuming Yates is correct, tackle-needy clubs like the Patriots don't care much about those numbers. 

Also on Thursday, Karen Guregian of MassLive noted that left tackle is the "top need" for a Patriots side that is hoping second-year quarterback Drake Maye will take a massive step in the right direction while working under longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels following McDaniels' return to the organization this past winter. 

Keeping Maye upright and healthy should be a priority for New England heading into training camp, and it sounds like most evaluators still feel Campbell and not Membou would be the better pick on April 24.