The debate around the Chicago Bears’ choice with the 10th overall pick has been raging for weeks. It doesn’t figure to let up until late next month when answers will finally arrive that Thursday night in Green Bay. Everybody has theories about who it will be. Many think head coach Ben Johnson is eager to reinvigorate the running game with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. Others insist it will be whomever the best pass rusher on the board is. Quite a few think there’s no way the Bears can pass on Penn State tight end Tyler Warren.
However, one person has remained conspicuously persistent on one name ahead of the action. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has some of the best inside connections to the Bears in the local beat. The name he first mentioned as one to watch is LSU left tackle Will Campbell. Even as the landscape seems to shift with the draft drawing closer, Biggs has not softened his stance on this idea. While many are wary of Campbell’s well-documented short arms, he seems to be hinting that it might not scare the Bears as much as people think.
The Chicago Bears liking Campbell shouldn’t be a surprise.
As always, one must remember who is running the show. That is head coach Ben Johnson. While Matt Eberflus may have prioritized length in his linemen, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Johnson. Both of his starting tackles in Detroit had arms considered on the shorter side. Taylor Decker was 33 and 3/4 inches, while Penei Sewell was 33 and 1/2. Both of them became Pro Bowlers under Johnson’s watch. It doesn’t seem the coach will let less than an inch of arm length deter him from drafting a good player, presuming that is what he sees in Campbell.
Biggs is correct. For all this talk about his arms, the LSU standout was an excellent blocker in the nation’s best conference for three years. This isn’t somebody who feasted on inferior competition. Campbell matched up with the best and didn’t blink. At worst, the left tackle experiment doesn’t work out and the Chicago Bears make him the eventual successor to Joe Thuney at left guard. If it does work out? They’ve finally plugged a vital position on their offense.
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