Within Arm’s Reach: Draft’s Best Left Tackle Could Fall to Jaguars

If the draft’s best tackle falls to the Jaguars at fifth overall, would James Gladstone and Liam Coen pass on him? That tackle is LSU’s Will Campbell, and his availability at No. 5 would mean most mock drafts didn’t correctly predict the draft’s first four selections.

The majority of those mocks see Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham or even Travis Hunter or Tetairoa McMillan as the Jaguars’ selection, but those predictions also don’t see Campbell escaping Drake Maye’s Patriots at 4. If for some reason the Patriots pass on Campbell, whether the Jaguars take him is a fascinating question. Their offensive line figures to be Priority No. 1 in upgrading Jacksonville’s roster.

Insider Jordan Schulz reported Tuesday that Campbell has scheduled one of his top 30 pre-draft visits with the Jaguars. That visit will be valuable for both parties, even if the Jaguars don’t draft Campbell in 2025. Jacksonville can still show off its brand-new training facility and renderings for its stadium of the future, something a prospect like Campbell will remember when he becomes a free agent down the road.

But if they do draft him, where he plays in the Jaguars’ lineup would be the first question for Coen. Late last season, the Jaguars locked up left tackle Walker Little on a reported three-year, $45 million extension, with $26 million guaranteed.

In four NFL seasons, 21 of Walker’s 25 starts have been at left tackle. The other four were at left offensive guard during the 2023 season. At Stanford in college, he started at left tackle as a true freshman before an injury and the pandemic truncated his Cardinal career. The Jaguars, who still took him in the second round of the 2021 draft.

Campbell, meanwhile, could play inside. The fifth-overall choice seems like a steep investment for an offensive guard but some analysts project him as an interior lineman. One of those analysts, Kyle Crabbs from The 33rd Team, believes Campbell could dominate inside for a team like the Jaguars, who could lose guard Brandon Scherff in free agency next week.

“Campbell’s density, foot speed and movement at the point of attack,” Crabbs said, “would be more isolated as positive variables in his game with bumpers on either side of him up front, mitigating some of the pass-set framing and length concerns that litter his film at left tackle.”

Another question for Coen and Gladstone would be Campbell’s shorter arm length, an important factor for scouts when grading offensive tackles. But Campbell isn’t concerned.

"I think I've shown everything that I need to, shown that I can play tackle at an elite level," Campbell said at last week’s combine. "You can go look at my tape; there's not one play on there that when I get beat you say, ‘That's because he has shorter arms.’

“Obviously, I don't have stereotypical offensive-tackle arms. 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."

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.