Mike Vrabel isn't the type to look at a number on a spreadsheet and determine whether or not he likes a player.
That's become the case for some, it seems, when it comes to LSU left tackle Will Campbell. When Campbell measured in with an arm length of 32 5/8 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine, he was quickly -- in the minds of some -- a player who needed to change positions inside to guard.
Despite the 2,500-plus snaps he took at left tackle in the SEC, Campbell's arm length had become a binary proposition. If his arms measured 33 inches or better, he could play tackle. If not, he couldn't.
But Vrabel doesn't see it that way, apparently. The Patriots reportedly had Campbell on a 30 visit to Gillette Stadium in addition to meeting him at the combine.
Vrabel was asked at the annual league meeting Monday if he views Campbell as a tackle.
"I think you have to," he said. "I don't understand how you can watch him play in the SEC, which is the best conference in college football, against guys that are going to get drafted at that position. I don't think you have to project it. You can just actually watch and say, 'There's his snaps at left tackle', evaluate it, and see what you think."
That sentiment is similar to one shared by former Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia to NBC Sports Boston. Though Scarnecchia did not want to comment specifically on Campbell's chances as a prospect, he indicated that arm length should not be the determining factor as to whether or not a player should be viewed as capable of playing on the edge.
Campbell is widely viewed as one of the two best linemen in the draft class, along with Missouri's tackle Armand Membou. Membou played exclusively at right tackle, however, making him a bit of a projection for teams looking to shift him to the left side.
"They're great young, talented players that have great film," Vrabel said of both Campbell and Membou. "Will has a lot of snaps at left tackle. Membou has played right, but there's a lot of guys that have played right and left and switched. Those are two good young players to talk about in that conversation."
Vrabel knows that the world knows the Patriots are in the mix for an offensive tackle in the draft. They have two players currently on the roster whom Vrabel mentioned as worthy of getting looks at tackle moving forward, but neither is going to stop the Patriots from being interested in investing in a tackle with their first couple of draft picks.
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"The plan is to continue to evaluate our roster and see who's there that we can continue to try to work," Vrabel said when asked about the plan at left tackle. "Caedan [Wallace] is certainly going to get an opportunity there as the roster is currently constructed, and Vederian [Lowe] is going to be coming back...
"The draft is going to be a good option for us. There's a lot of guys in the draft that we like at a lot of different levels. I'm confident between now and the time that the season starts that we're going to have something that we believe in and a plan that is going to help us."
Scouts see Campbell as having perhaps a higher floor than Membou. But it's Membou who some see as having the higher ceiling. There's just a bit more volatility involved in Membou's projection in the event a switch to the left side isn't viable.
While Campbell has started for LSU since his freshman year, Membou wasn't moved to left tackle because he had an older NFL-caliber teammate who was established at the position. (Javon Foster was drafted in the fourth round last year by Jacksonville.) Missouri then added a transfer before last season -- SMU's Marcus Bryant -- who slotted in at left tackle, keeping Membou on the right.
The Patriots could wait until a little later in the draft to address the tackle position. Ohio State's Josh Simmons, Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery, Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr., Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo and William & Mary's Charles Grant all look promising for different reasons.
But if the Patriots want a potential Day 1 starter, they may have to go with a left tackle early. And Campbell, despite his arm length, is an option.