2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Will Campbell

Background

LSU Offensive Tackle prospect Will Campbell was a 4-star recruit per 247sports out of Neville High School in Monroe, LA. The 6'6", 325-pound lineman was the 9th overall OT recruit and ranked 66th nationally. As a freshman at LSU, Campbell started immediately. He was Jayden Daniels' blindside protector in the 2022 opener versus Florida State and put together a very solid first season with only 14 pressures and 2 sacks allowed. His sophomore campaign was even better, allowing only 17 pressures with no sacks; contributing mightily to the most explosive offense in the nation.

Strengths

Tremendous Size and Athleticism: Campbell has no shortage of raw athletic talent. He is a superb mover for his size, looking fluid in every aspect of the position, and in every direction. He gets into space quickly and demonstrates impressive lateral agility and lower-half explosion in his pass sets. At 6'6", 325 pounds with seemingly good length that skill set is rare and could warrant the "offensive weapon" label in his future.

Exceptional Footwork: By far, his greatest calling card, is Campbell's footwork. The young Tiger's sophomore tape was riddled with impressive foot speed and agility, that kept him in position even when beat up top. His feet are active and urgent and consistently works to reposition through contact. He is very rarely beaten to the inside, where he utilizes his reaction speed and high-end lateral quickness. His ability to recover and maintain his leverage on reps where he would lose elsewhere is what allowed him to be so successful as early as he was in the SEC.

Productive Run Blocker: Will clearly demonstrated growth in understanding of the run game and his responsibilities on his 2023 tape. He walls off running lanes much more effectively, using what appears to be very strong balance and core strength. He's far from a road grater yet, but he was a fruitful combo blocker and was frequently able to reach second-level defenders after packing a mean shoulder into the lineman being double-teamed.

Weaknesses

Play Strength: Campbell's youth was most noticeable when facing some of the older, more powerful rushers in College Football last season. Jared Verse and Dallas Turner both had productive days against him, converting speed to power through his chest, collapsing a great handful of pockets. Generally, Campbell's feet and technique are enough to keep him from getting entirely barreled over, but he regularly gave substantial ground at first contact. All this being said, he played the entirety of last season as a 19-year-old, which should indicate that there's plenty of room for him to add muscle and power going forward.

Hand Usage and Strength: Campbell's hands were still clearly a work in progress last season. He was fairly inconsistent with his punches, and lacked the grip strength required to put players away once reaching them. His arms were often victims of cross chops and snatch moves, forcing him to rely on his feet for recovery. He was beaten frequently late in plays against players who were relentless in pursuit of his hands after being locked. He also doesn't use his length as well as you'd expect him to either.

Summary

Will Campbell is a name that I'm sure will become more publicly known as we trudge closer to the draft next year. The frame and athletic prowess that he shows on tape are more than NFL Caliber. His footwork is incredibly impressive for his age and should serve as the foundation for a prospect who could easily play himself into a bonafide first-round selection for next Spring. Should he grow stronger and fine-tune the technical deficiencies in his game while continuing to dominate SEC competition, I'd then feel fairly comfortable saying that we will see Campbell's name called on day one in 2025.