The 2025 NFL Draft offensive tackle class appears to be wide open at first glance, and with his scouting report, LSU’s Will Campbell could compete for the top positional spot.
What makes Campbell such a compelling prospect, and where does he stand to improve?
Will Campbell’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’6″
- Weight: 320 pounds
- Position: Offensive Tackle
- School: LSU
- Current Year: Junior
Some offensive linemen just have “it.” Campbell was such a case coming out of Monroe, La.
A five-star recruit in the 2022 class, Campbell was one of the highest-rated blockers to come out of Louisiana over the past decade. With offers from a host of SEC schools, he chose to play for LSU.
Since that fateful decision, Campbell has been LSU’s blindside blocker for two seasons. Right from the start as a true freshman, he was a full-time starter on the left side. In 2022, he made the freshman All-American team. In 2023, Campbell was a first-team All-SEC performer, assisting in Jayden Daniels’ Heisman campaign.
Now, Campbell — who’ll be just 21 years old as an NFL rookie if he declares in 2025 — already has 26 starts to his name. And along with his teammate Emery Jones Jr., he’s in the Round 1 mix for the 2025 NFL Draft cycle.
Campbell’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Sports a compact, well-distributed frame with a strong lower body.
- Easy accelerator and a nimble mover in space, who can easily climb the field.
- Moves with exceptional energy and quickness on the lateral plane, correcting angles.
- Has the explosiveness and hip flexibility to cover ground and seal off the apex.
- Compact, efficient movement allows for stellar punch and power drive in the run game.
- Has shown he can sequentially square up defenders and drive power with his legs.
- Can torque through opponents and has shown he can latch and drop the anchor.
- Gets good depth on his kick and can match rushers with fast, controlled footwork.
- Well-balanced athlete with great knee bend and flexibility when acquiring leverage.
- Actively employs synergetic technique in pass protection, matching with tight elbows.
- Can use active hands around the apex to nullify cross-chops and gather rushers.
- Can leverage power from his hips and attack the collar with heavy two-handed punches.
- Able to vary his kick and depth angle in pass protection to wall off rushing angles.
- Keeps his eyes active and alert when faced with blitz threats, and can handle stunts.
- Physical, tenacious blocker who plays to the whistle and relishes chances to finish.
Weaknesses
- Has average arm length at best and may fall below the 33″ threshold.
- Lack of length and non-elite upper body strength can cause lapses against power.
- Middling length can allow longer rushers to get inside his frame and sustain power.
- Has room to get stronger at initial contact and improve his grip strength when latched.
- On occasion, extends prematurely and lurches to compensate for lacking length.
- Despite hip flexibility, doesn’t quite have elite torso flexibility or bend on recovery.
- At times, can better calibrate his set position to avoid over and under-setting on blocks.
- Sometimes gets worked upright by bull-rushes, creating inconsistencies with anchor.
- Pad level can be easily warped by power, causing imbalance and lopsided alignment.
- Can play too tall and upright on occasion, necessitating greater base load and leverage.
- Can be worked off-balance by forceful outside-inside counters.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Campbell grades out as a fringe first-round prospect who could eventually contend for the OT1 mantle. As of now, he’s worth late-first-round- or early-Day 2 capital, and he has the raw talent and technical feel to stay in that range.
A highly-touted recruit who’s been a starter since the day he set foot on LSU’s campus, Campbell has an impressive mix of physical capability and technical refinement. He’s an elite athlete with great energy, explosion, and range, and, in spite of his lacking length, he’s extremely powerful — both with his drive and knockback on punches.
Going further, Campbell is a naturally synergetic and well-leveraged pass protector who can use active feet, a wide base, and tight hands to match and gather rushers with impressive consistency. He’s shown he can use precise strikes to deconstruct moves, and he can use his strong lower body to anchor.
In a way, Campbell’s middling length allows him to be more controlled and energy-efficient with his technique. But that same middling length can bring about issues with over-extending, lurching, and suboptimal reach against longer power rushers. Campbell isn’t yet at the level technically to fully counteract that.
Campbell has the athletic and technical tools to stay at tackle even with his middling length, and he has the traits and angle IQ to fit a vast variety of run schemes as a starter. But to rise into the early-to-mid Round 1 range, Campbell will have to continue to refine his set positioning, base load on anchors, and cut down on lapses in hand timing.