Will Campbell’s arm length not root of struggles, NFL linemen say

The New England Patriots struggled to protect Drake Maye throughout their 29-13 Super Bowl 60 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Rookie left tackle Will Campbell absorbed a lot of blame for the offensive line’s poor performance. The 22-year-old allowed a whopping 14 pressures – the most by an individual during the 2025 season, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats – against Seattle’s elite defensive front.

In total, Campbell surrendered 29 pressures across the Patriots’ four-game playoff run and was credited with allowing four of the 21 sacks Maye took during New England’s Super Bowl run, per Pro Football Focus.

Campbell’s struggles in pass protection have led to much discourse about his future. Many have brought up pre-draft concerns about the LSU product’s 32 5/8-inch arm length while wondering whether the 2025 NFL Draft’s No. 4 pick would be better served moving inside to guard long-term.

That said, many former NFL offensive tackles have come out in support of Campbell after his Super Bowl showing. They have opined the 22-year-old’s issues are more about technique – which can be corrected –than they are about arm length.

Former New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead believes Campbell’s issues primarily stem from him not having ‘a solid foundation.’

‘His feet are constantly moving backwards before contact on 90% of these reps!’ Armstead wrote in a post to X. ‘Damn near impossible to anchor against power if your feet are not in the ground!!!’

Justin Pugh – who carved out an 11-year NFL career with the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals despite having 32-inch arms – offered a similar take. He wrote that arm length may ‘slightly’ impact Campbell, but the bigger issue was that the rookie is ‘still learning.’

Several others – including former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Willie Anderson, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz and noted offensive line scout Duke Manyweather – also identified areas for improvement for Campbell, ranging from ‘mastering better sets’ to improving his ‘punch timing.’

Campbell will have an entire offseason to work through the issues that plagued him at the end of his rookie season and to further distance himself from the MCL sprain that affected him beginning in Week 12 of the 2025 NFL campaign.

And while the Patriots could shore up their offensive tackle depth during the offseason, they don’t seem likely to give up on Campbell as their full-time blindside blocker after just one season.