NFL Analysis
3/27/25
5 min read
Will Campbell’s NFL Projection: Tackle or Guard? Breaking Down the LSU Star's Tape
Will Campbell has been LSU’s starting left tackle since his freshman year and has played over 2,500 snaps in his three seasons with the Tigers. But he’s become one of the more controversial prospects in the 2025 Draft class, as people are split over his ideal position in the NFL. Whether Campbell projects as a guard or tackle is undoubtedly an important question that will impact his draft value, but there’s a lot more nuance to the conversation than simply measuring his arm length. And regardless of his position, Campbell is an extremely talented player who should be selected early in the first round.
I think Campbell has Pro Bowl potential as a guard, but would most likely be an average to below average tackle. This isn’t an example of a tackle with perfectly clean tape who’s being projected to move inside purely because his arms are short. Campbell had a lot of losses in 2024 that make me question his ability to mirror NFL pass rushers on an island. I do think most of these issues would be hidden at guard, however. While guards still have to be able to mirror a two-way go, they’re responsible for significantly less space and the length and foot speed requirements are much less demanding.
PASS BLOCKING
Will Campbell has a sturdy anchor and rarely cedes ground to power rushers. Despite his upright stature, he has the lower half flexibility and knee bend to win the leverage battle. He clamps bull rushes with tight inside hands and sinks his anchor to redirect his opponent’s force into the ground:
Campbell has a jarring two-hand punch that lands consistently inside his opponent’s frame and erases their momentum on impact. This fortifies his anchor, as he’s able to meet power with power and inhibit rushers from surging into contact. It also counters outside moves by reducing his opponent’s speed around the arc. If he delivers his punch before the rusher can execute a move, it completely disrupts their timing and upfield momentum:
He also has elite grip strength and stays attached once he latches on. Skilled pass rushers will try to swipe at his hands to release contact, but when Campbell lands a punch, the rep usually ends immediately:
Campbell almost exclusively uses a two-hand punch in pass protection, but to survive at tackle, he’ll need to diversify his technique. The best offensive linemen in the NFL can alternate between independent hands, bait technique, and two-hand strikes to counter a wide range of moves and keep rushers guessing. The two-hand strike is best used as a changeup, as opposed to a primary strategy. If a blocker is incapable of mixing up their techniques, NFL pass rushers will easily identify and exploit their tendencies. Expanding his arsenal will be crucial in order for Campbell to hold up at the next level.
His predictable and aggressive punch strategy left him vulnerable against SEC pass rushers. He allowed two sacks and 18 pressures in 2024, so his weaknesses as a pass blocker are more than just a projection. He doesn’t have elite range to recover when his outside hand gets trapped. If his two-hand punch misses or rushers are able to swipe/chop his outside hand, he has very little recourse to protect the corner.
Here he’s too late and soft with his punch and R Mason Thomas easily defeats his outside hand, clearing an open path to Garrett Nussmeier:
Landon Jackson had several clean wins with a well-timed cross-chop:
He also had a few losses to swipe-swim moves and couldn’t expand his set point and widen the corner after he stopped his feet:
Campbell has 33-inch arms and the shortest wingspan (77 3/8-inches) for a tackle in combine history. This decreases his radius of impact and creates a short corner for speed rushers if he isn’t perfect technically. But the push to move Campbell inside isn’t purely about arm length.
There are plenty of outliers who fall short of the ideal length thresholds but still became quality starters or even star tackles. Braden Smith, Luke Goedeke, Kaleb McGary, and Bernhard Raimann are very good tackles with sub-32-inch arms. Rashawn Slater, Michael Roos, Bryan Bulaga, and Penei Sewell are Pro Bowl caliber tackles with arm length between 32 and 32 ¼-inches. But most of the outliers who are able to stay at tackle have the foot speed and lateral fluidity to offset their length limitations, and Campbell’s movement skills are just average.
This is an even bigger issue against inside counters. His mediocre recovery athleticism combined with his tendency to overset and lunge into his strike exposes the B-gap and allows rushers to beat him across his face:
RUN BLOCKING
Will Campbell is a very good run blocker who fits any offensive scheme. He’s an outstanding straight-line athlete, posting a 4.98 40-yard dash (93rd percentile for guards), a 32-inch vertical jump (84th percentile), and a 113-inch broad jump (91st percentile).
He has the explosiveness to win leverage and secure difficult backside cutoffs on wide zone:
He can also connect to moving targets in open space on pulls and climbs to the second level:
He occasionally leans too far forward and falls off of blocks, but when he stays balanced and centered to his opponent, he has the drive power to move defenders off the line of scrimmage. He does a great job of generating torque with his upper body to uproot his opponent’s anchor:
