2025 NFL Draft: 4 reasons why Will Campbell's arm length matters to Bears' Ryan Poles

Size matters in the NFL, especially along the offensive and defensive lines. And in a game of inches, it's in these position groups where that maxim is true.

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It's easy to see the frustration that offensive tackle Will Campbell feels in all the discourse surrounding his arm length.

As a prospect in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, he has a resume that makes him worthy of a top-five pick, but his arm length may drag him down. Though his measurements came in slightly better at LSU's pro day, his official NFL combine measurement is 32 and 5/8 inches, just beneath the NFL's minimum threshold of 33 inches.

Some Bears fans dismiss this as a non-issue for Campbell's NFL projection, but, that's not true.

Here are four reasons why the length of Campbell's arms matter.

1. Standards exist for a reason.

Nobody woke up one day and arbitrarily decided that all NFL offensive tackles should have arms that are longer than 33 inches. It's a standard that was cultivated over years of data to determine what traits the good ones shared and what traits the not-so-good ones shared.

The NFL is a game of inches, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the trenches. The man with the longer arms gets his hands to the chest of his opponent first and controls the matchup.

2. Campbell's arms are really short

Many Bears fans have made it clear that 3/8 of an inch is miniscule, and they're right. The problem is that Campbell is not 3/8 of an inch below the standard. He's 3/8 of an inch below the absolute lowest that NFL teams are willing to tolerate. Most teams have a standard of 34 inches or even slightly longer than that.

Put another way, offensive tackles who don't have at least 33-inch arms won't be considered for the position by a majority of NFL teams. They'll get kicked inside. The cutoff -- the absolute minimum acceptable number -- is 33 inches. It's like a pass-fail grade. You don't pass a test because you came really close to passing. You fail.

3. NFC North pass rushers are going to be a problem.

The Bears have to play the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers twice a year. Guess what their top pass rushers have in common? Arms that are longer than 34 inches. Minnesota's Jonathan Greenard's arms are nearly 35 inches, and he plays in Brian Flores' hyper-aggressive pass-rushing scheme.

It's not that Campbell will be outmatched by a fraction of an inch against his division rivals. He'd be outmatched by nearly two full inches.

4. Tackles make more money than guards.

Arm length matters for Campbell, too. It's not really fair when you consider how important guards are becoming in the NFL, but tackles still make significantly more money. Campbell will certainly downplay the length of his arms and stand on his tape because he wants to be a left tackle, the highest paid position on the offensive line.

Maybe he can buck the trend. There are a small handful of offensive tackles in the NFL with short arms, but they're the exception, not the rule. Campbell is very good. He'll need to be great to stick at left tackle.

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