FOXBORO — With less than three weeks left until the NFL Draft, the smart money on what the Patriots do with the No. 4 overall pick is select an offensive tackle.
LSU’s Will Campbell and Missouri’s Armand Membou are the top offensive tackles in this draft, projected top-10 picks who dominated in college football’s toughest conference. Campbell started for three seasons at left tackle and finished his career as a consensus All-American. The only concern with Campbell, who produced excellent tape and tested as an elite athlete at the NFL combine, are his unusually short arms and wingspan (seventh percentile among offensive tackle prospects).
Years ago, new Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone recruited Campbell out of high school when he coached at the University of Alabama. On Thursday, Marrone shared what he sees in the 21-year-old prospect and whether his 77-inch wingspan is an issue.
“(Campbell)’s been obviously productive,” Marrone told reporters at Gillette Stadium. “I’ve not noticed it being an issue for him being at the level he’s at right now.”
Campbell’s arms measured at 33 inches at his Pro Day last month, typically the cut-off for starting offensive tackles in the NFL. Over the last 25 years, no NFL player has made the Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team with shorter arms than that.
“I’ve always looked at (arm length) as something that: ‘Do you play that way or do you play longer? (Do) you play to the max of what you have? Or you play under what you have?’” Marrone asked. “I’ve had some guys that had some shorter arms and played like they had longer arms, so I just think it’s something that you bring up that you just want to make sure that you evaluate and see if it affects the player in a positive way or a negative way.”
As for Membou, he played right tackle at Missouri and also tested as an elite athlete, including a 4.91 time in the 40-yard dash at 332 pounds. The only shared concern with Campbell is a possible move to guard, not because of arm length, but his height. At 6-foot-4, Membou is shorter than an average tackle but otherwise checks every physical box.
The Patriots would likely ask him to flip from right tackle to left tackle, especially after signing Morgan Moses in free agency. Asked about the transition, Marrone recalled coaching ex-Saints All-Pro Jammal Brown to move from right tackle to left during his second season in 2006. Brown made the Pro Bowl that same season and then another two years later.
“He (had) never played the left side, he was a first-round pick from Oklahoma, (I) sat down with Jammal and said, ‘Hey, listen, we want to try this. I think we can do this. If things don’t work out, we’ll put you back’,” Marrone recalled. “He had a ton of talent, but he did it.”
So what type of tackle would Marrone prefer?
“I mean, I play with all different types of left tackles,” said Marrone, who also coached offensive linemen at Alabama and for two years with the Jaguars. “Some guys that have been real athletic, some guys that have been really tall and long, some guys that have been short and quick. So I think it’s tough that if you want to say, ‘OK, this is exactly what you’re looking for.’”
If the Patriots don’t select an offensive tackle at No. 4, their next pick comes in the second round at 38th overall. Armed with an extra third-round pick and a new fifth-rounder from Thursday’s trade with the Cowboys, they could also opt to trade back into the first round for Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, Texas product Kelvin Banks Jr. or Oregon’s Josh Conerly.
Originally Published:
