The Patriots cannot leave free agency and the draft without landing at least one top flight left tackle.
And given last year’s fiasco with Chuks Okorafor, they can’t go back to settling on right tackles, then praying they can convert to the left side.
They need a legitimate blindside protector, and that’s just for starters. So much of the Patriots rebuild, their rising back to prominence in the league, depends on it.
Plan A is landing Ronnie Stanley, the best available free agent left tackle on the market. At age 30 - he turns 31 on March 18th - he’s getting on in years, but is still considered among the NFL’s better tackles.
Plugging in Stanley, and having him nullify pass rushers on the left side would certainly help the mission of protecting Drake Maye.
If the Patriots can’t make that happen, if they can’t sign Stanley, the remaining free agents aren’t world-beaters, but still worthy of pursuit be it Cam Robinson, Dan Moore or Morgan Moses given the team’s deficiency at the position.
After free agency comes the draft, where LSU’s Will Campbell has long been considered the best left tackle prospect. He’s been pencilled in at No. 4 to the Patriots in many mocks.
Only, the red flag with Campbell - one that was reinforced during the NFL scouting combine last week - is tough to ignore. His arms don’t fit the bill for a player expected to contain the NFL’s best edge rushers.
While Campbell has plenty of plus-traits, his arms measured 32 and 5/8 inches long. For a position where wingspan is paramount, Campbell’s short arms figure to be a problem.
So much so, that he is likely to wind up playing guard.
The Patriots like Campbell, and would be willing to try him at tackle first, before moving him to guard if need be. He’s been that impressive to some in the personnel department.
The great Dante Scarnecchia, the team’s former offensive line coach, once said arm length was “way overrated.”
Perhaps, it is.
But it makes no sense to roll the dice on a player in the draft who isn’t a sure bet at tackle, especially if they don’t land Stanley, or one of the other top tackles.
If the Patriots love Campbell that much, they can’t come up empty in free agency. Having a safety net veteran secured in free agency would make a selection of Campbell more palatable.
They can’t be in a position of desperation for a tackle when the draft rolls around.
They shouldn’t be left having to gamble on a tackle with short arms unless they’ve already secured some viable depth at the position.
Two former NFL offensive linemen I spoke with Wednesday offered interesting takes on the Campbell conundrum.
ESPN analyst and former Patriots lineman Damien Woody likes Campbell, but it doesn’t sound like he’d select him that high up on the draft board.
“When you’re picking at four, you want a sure thing,” the two-time Super Bowl winner said. “You want a difference-maker when you’re picking that high.
“I like Will Campbell. I like him a lot. But the arm stuff scares me a little bit. I thought he was fantastic in the SEC, but this is the big-boy league.
“As someone who started on the inside, and moved to the outside, I can say that length does matter on the outside. With those pass rushers coming off the edge, if you don’t have that length, those guys will get into your chest and it’s game over. That’s a legit issue.”
Ross Tucker, another former Patriot lineman who works for CBS Sports, Westwood One and hosts the “Ross Tucker Football Podcast” wasn’t quite as troubled by Campbell’s arm length, even while acknowledging it plays a factor.
“It wouldn’t preclude me from picking him at four if you feel like based on how he performed in the SEC for three years, that he can pass protect at a high level,” the podcast host said. “But I do think length matters. If you’re picking a guy at four, you better be convicted that he’s your left tackle.”
Tucker, who was with the Patriots in 2005, said he had “incredibly short arms” when he played, but it wasn’t as much of a big deal back then.
“I had sub-31 inch arms. So I don’t think I’d get an opportunity now. I wouldn’t get signed,” Tucker said. “Matt Light didn’t have long arms. His were average ... But it’s such a priority for these teams now. You’d rather have longer arms than short, just like you’d rather run a faster 40 time ... we all recognize that. But the idea of a 33-inch cutoff, that part of it’s comical to me.
“Is it okay to have concerns, sure. But I don’t buy artificial cutoffs. I would have no problem taking (Campbell). I would let him play left tackle, and prove he can’t play left tackle. And if he proves he can’t, move him inside ... Now, is that ideal at No. 4? Probably not. But no one will care if the guy becomes a Pro Bowl player.”
True. The Patriots, however, aren’t in a position to be gambling. They need sure-fire players. And lots of them.
They can’t afford to swing and miss in the draft in the early rounds.
The best case scenario?
“Getting a vet, and getting Campbell, that would be an interesting way to go about it, because they really need two tackles,” Tucker said of the Patriots. “That would be fine, too.”
Campbell, however, appears to be dropping down the draft board. His stock has dipped since that fateful arm measurement last week.
Missouri’s Armand Membou, meanwhile, is a tackle prospect on the rise. Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, who is coming off an injury, is another interesting possibility. Prior to the injury, he was considered the best-in-class.
“I saw Simmons when he was at San Diego State and I was very impressed right away,” Tucker said of Membou, who eventually transferred. “I just don’t know about that injury (torn patellar tendon). That’s a tough one.
“As for Membou, he kind of reminds me of Jason Peters, a former teammate of mine. Jason wasn’t that tall. He was like 6-4, 330-some-odd pounds which is what Membou is. He can run really well and finish people. It seems like there’s more momentum for Membou right now than Campbell.”
Now, if Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter are still available at No. 4, they’ll be no need to ponder the merits of Campbell and arm size. He becomes moot as the talent-challenged Patriots pounce on one of the two elite prospects in the 2025 NFL draft.
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