INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Will Campbell has a candid answer for NFL scouts who question his measurements.
Go watch the tape.
What they’ll find, he contends, is a tackle who has kept draft prospects at arm’s length during LSU’s practices and throughout Southeastern Conference games for three nearly flawless seasons, helping him make the case to be the first offensive lineman selected in April’s draft.
“There’s not one play on there that when I get beat you’d say ‘Oh, that was because I have shorter arms,’” Campbell said this weekend in Indianapolis. “I don’t have stereotypical offensive tackle arms, but you know I’m aware of that and it’s something I use every week in my game play and preparation to attack different defenders.”
Campbell measured in at a massive 6-foot-6, 319 pounds, but it was his 32 5/8-inch arms that sent shockwaves through the NFL’s annual scouting combine. Teams generally want tackles with arms at least 33 inches long.
Though most people may not think a three-eighths of an inch difference matters much among football’s big guys, these are the types of things that help team officials separate players and that prompt questions such as whether Campbell may be a better fit at guard.
According to the NFL.com grades, Campbell arrived in Indianapolis tied for second with Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas among this year’s offensive line group. Tackle Armand Membou of Missouri was ranked No. 1.
But Campbell came here to prove he’s second to none.
So unlike most of today’s top prospects, who opted to wait until their college pro days to perform on the field, Campbell went through the testing. He posted the fifth-best 40-yard dash at 4.98 seconds. Membou was second at 4.91.
Membou tied for fourth in the vertical jump at 34 inches while Campbell was in a five-player group tied for seventh at 32, and Membou and Campbell took the two spots in the broad jump. Membou went 9 feet, 7 inches while Campbell and guard Tate Ratledge of Georgia each posted a 9-5.
“I just want to show my athletic ability, versatility, right, left, whatever it might be, whatever they need me to do, I’m going to get out there and do it,” he said before the drills. “I’m excited to compete.”
Scouts certainly will like hearing that comment.
Then again, Campbell has nothing to hide. He’s been winning the most competitive battles almost from the moment he stepped on campus.
Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. another of the 329 combine invitees, won their respective starting jobs three years ago, giving LSU its first true freshmen tackle tandem in school history.
Campbell thrived, too. He only allowed five sacks in 38 career starts including two last season, developing a strong work ethic while working on a farm in the hot, muggy Southern summers.
“Do you know what poly pipe is?” he said, describing one of his many chores. “If you ever drive by a cornfield or a bean field and you see the white pipe running down the side, I had to roll that out, miles and miles and miles of it.”
Banks was born in Humble, Texas, and attended high school in Houston, but followed a similar path to enter the discussion about going first in this position group.
He, too, was a three-year starter, paving the way for some of the most productive runners in Longhorns history. He made two playoff appearances, won a conference crown and last season won the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Award and was a unanimous All-American.
Banks’ body is slightly smaller than Campbell’s, at 6-5, 315, but Banks had longer arms and hands — 33 1/2 inches and 10 3/8 inches, respectively. Those two factors could make a difference.
But Banks believes his talent goes beyond the numbers. He points to his footwork while pass blocking and his aggressive mentality to clear paths on the ground.
“My approach to run blocking is to try to dominate my defender,” he said. “Sometimes that kind of gets me in a bind because I get too aggressive, but that’s my approach. Every time I try to attack a defender, just dominate at the line of scrimmage.”
Like Campbell, Banks demonstrated his skills on the field Sunday, too. Banks ran a 5.16 in the 40, 17th in the group, and matched Campbell’s 32-inch vertical jump. But he was ahead of only four other players in the broad jump, going 8-8. Banks didn’t plan on doing the bench press Monday.
Banks hopes those numbers will be good enough to win the competition. Campbell believes his stats will help, but he’ll really take over when the scouts realize he can handle anyone they throw at him.
“My resume speaks for itself,” Campbell said. “I’ve been able to play in the best conference in college football at the highest level for three years. I feel like that separates me from everybody else.”
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