When Will Campbell’s rough Super Bowl showing reignited the familiar arm-length debate, Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas wasn’t buying it. After breaking down the film of Campbell trying to protect Drake Maye, the Hall of Famer made it clear the real problem was neither physical nor what most people were blaming, but something much more technical.

“Pass blocking is a double-leg power block,” Thomas explained, taking to his Instagram account. “To stop a grown man coming off the edge, you need both feet in the grounded contact. You need to be balanced…He needs to slam into the ground a split second before contact. The timing of his footwork is a little bit off. His outside foot is hitting just a little bit too early…He loses his base, he loses his power.”

Thomas, who spent 11 seasons anchoring the Cleveland Browns’ line, had himself faced similar scrutiny entering the 2007 NFL Draft, when his arm length was questioned despite going third overall. He went on to start 167 consecutive games and set an NFL record with 10,363 straight snaps, a reminder that measurables don’t always dictate longevity or success. What made Thomas’ breakdown carry even more weight was that he had never been part of the arm-length panic surrounding Campbell in the first place.

Dating back to the 2025 draft process, the Hall of Famer openly backed the Patriots’ decision to take the rookie fourth overall, calling him a future cornerstone and brushing off concerns about his physical measurements. Thomas repeatedly stressed that offensive line play is about connecting defenders to your feet and balance, not having an extra inch of reach, even noting that similar “short arms” were once used as a knock against him early in his own career.

But for Campbell, what unfolded against the Seattle Seahawks’ defense in the Super Bowl shifted the conversation to whether Campbell should move inside to guard, largely because of his arm length. That concern isn’t new, either.

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Almost exactly a year ago, at the previous NFL Combine, Campbell measured in with 32 5/8-inch arms, while many evaluators prefer 34 inches as a benchmark for tackles. Campbell was well aware of it and pushed back at the time.

“Obviously, I don’t have stereotypical offensive tackle arms,” Campbell said back then. “I’m aware of that. People have to nitpick something. I’ve heard it all my career. When I was coming out of high school, the college coaches all said the same thing. I proved them wrong. It’s something I anticipate doing again.”

Through the regular season, the numbers supported him. PFF graded him 72.6 overall this year (76.1 in pass protection and 67.6 in run blocking). Going by those first-year numbers, perhaps arm length wasn’t the issue after all. In the postseason, though, the cracks showed, and they showed up in his base.

He logged 783 offensive snaps across 13 regular-season games before being placed on injured reserve in late November with a knee issue, returning in time for the Patriots’ final regular-season contest and playoff run.

Campbell’s steady performance in the regular season gave way to a noticeable dip during his rookie playoff run. The 22-year-old allowed 29 pressures, the most ever recorded in a single postseason by Next Gen Stats. The tape consistently traced those losses back to his footwork foundation rather than arm strength, especially in pass sets.

According to Next Gen Stats, every one of the 14 pressures he allowed in Super Bowl LX came in one-on-one situations, further highlighting how these were individual reps lost at the point of attack rather than schematic breakdowns. His 26.9% pressure rate in the game was the highest allowed by any player in a contest during the 2025 campaign, regular season or playoffs.

Pass blocking demands something different, as explained by Thomas. Unlike run blocking, where the tackle fires forward, pass protection forces him to move backward while a defender explodes off the edge. That’s why both feet must be planted and braced at contact.

In Campbell’s case, his outside foot was landing a split second too early instead of right at contact. Once that timing slipped, his base narrowed, his hips opened, and leverage vanished.

Thomas explained that the job of a tackle isn’t simply about arm reach but about “connecting the defender to your feet,” emphasizing that anchoring power is generated from the ground up rather than from fingertip extension. And he isn’t alone in that assessment. Veteran tackle Terron Armstead echoed the same point, calling the issues technical and fixable.

Former Giants All-Pro Andrew Thomas, himself a former No. 4 overall pick who faced early-career criticism, urged patience, noting that playing left tackle with heavy expectations as a rookie is rarely seamless and that technique refinement often separates early struggles from long-term success.

That dynamic was evident on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium. Drake Maye finished with 295 yards and two touchdowns, but he absorbed six sacks. Campbell wasn’t solely responsible, yet he was part of the breakdown.

Per Next Gen Stats, Campbell allowed 14 pressures in the Super Bowl alone (the most since 2018). Still, footwork wasn’t the only variable, as injury could have played a role as well. After the loss, Campbell revealed he had played through the postseason with a torn ligament in his knee.

“When you tear a ligament in your knee, it’s not going to be how it was before. But I was healthy enough to go. I’m not going to say that it held me back, but it wasn’t the same as it was before. But I was good,” he explained.

In fact, right after the Super Bowl, QB Drake Maye was one of the first names to voice his support for rookie Campbell, telling people how he looked forward to playing with the tackle for a long time.

“The expectations of a first-round pick, I think he’s dealt with so much this year,”  Maye said in his defense. “It’s only going to be great for him in the future. He’s going to be a great player in this league. He’s already a great player in this league. I look forward to seeing him in the offseason…and getting back to OTAs.”

Head coach Mike Vrabel reinforced that belief in Campbell’s long-term outlook, stating plainly, “Will’s 22 years old, he’s our left tackle… We’re not moving him to guard, or center, or tight end, or anywhere else,” effectively shutting down immediate speculation about a position switch.

All in all, the broader takeaway remains clear: this isn’t about arm length or a lack of talent. It’s about trying to block elite edge rushers without a consistently solid foundation. The encouraging part? Multiple veterans believe it’s coachable.

But just in case the offseason unfolds with a decision on whether Campbell should change positions, some free-agent tackles have emerged who could help stabilize New England’s blindside.

Veteran tackle options who could protect Drake Maye while Will Campbell develops

Sliding a first-round pick to guard creates a vacancy at left tackle, one that cannot be solved with hope alone. But that does not mean abandoning Campbell as a tackle project altogether.

Free agency offers several tackle options who could stabilize the edge without forcing a premature verdict on Campbell’s future. For starters, the Patriots have been suggested to look at Green Bay for a solution.

Rasheed Walker is the cleanest solution if the Patriots want certainty. He has quietly protected Jordan Love’s blindside for years, logging heavy snap counts without durability concerns. His 70.0 pass blocking PFF grade impresses alongside his years of experience. Meanwhile, another name has emerged in the NFC North.

Braxton Jones represents upside with risk attached. When healthy, he plays like a legitimate starter, backed by strong PFF grades from 2024. The concern for the Bears player is availability, not ability. His availability issues saw his PFF grade fall from 77.4 in 2024 to 55.5 in 2025. Should he not prove to be a justifiable risk, there’s a veteran on the East Coast who could also make sense.

Jermaine Eluemunor of the New York Giants graded out well in pass protection, limited sacks, and can play both tackle and guard. Moreover, his prior experience with New England from the 2019 season makes him a piece worth considering, with a 63.8 overall PFF grade in 2025.

The 2026 season marks Campbell’s second year protecting the blind side. If adjustments are made, the expectation is that the management and a fine-tuned roster will play a role in sharpening Campbell’s development and helping him clean up the technical issues that surfaced late in his rookie campaign.