Marrone talked both Will Campbell and Armand Membou on Thursday.
Depending how the top of the NFL Draft shakes out, the New England Patriots could use the No. 4 overall pick to fill their biggest hole at left tackle.
If that’s the route that unfolds, the decision would likely fall between LSU’s Will Campbell and Missouri’s Armand Membou.
Campbell has been one of the most polarizing prospects in this draft due to his lack of both arm length (21st percentile) and wingspan (7th). According to Mike Vrabel, however, the Patriots view Campbell as a tackle as offensive line coach Doug Marrone has not seen the lack of arm length limit Campbell.
“He’d been obviously productive,” Marrone said Thursday at Gillette Stadium. “I’ve not noticed it being an issue for him being at the level he’s at right now.”
Starting all three years at left tackle for LSU — after Marrone originally attempted to recruit Campbell to Alabama — the 21-year-old allowed just four total sacks en route to earning consensus All-American honors last season. Despite succeeding at tackle in the SEC, the lack of length have left many projecting Campbell as an interior player at the next level.
“I’ve always looked at it as something that, you know, ‘Do you play that way or do you play longer? You play to the max of what you have or you play under what you have?’” Marrone said. “I’ve had some guys that had some shorter arms and played like they had longer arms, so I just think it’s something that you bring up that you just want to make sure that you evaluate and see if it affects the player in a positive way or a negative way.”
As for Membou, the fellow true junior played right tackle for Missouri the last three seasons. With Morgan Moses now in the fold at the position, a selection of Membou, who also features an elite athletic profile and did not allow a sack last season, would come with him flipping to the left side.
That change would not be foreign to Marrone as a coach. Arriving in New Orleans back in 2006, Marrone flipped right tackle Jammal Brown to the left side. Brown went on to win All-Pro honors in his first year at left tackle and was named to two Pro Bowls over the next three seasons.
“He never played the left side, he was a first round pick from Oklahoma. Sat down with Jamal said, ‘Hey, listen, we want to try this. I think we can do this. Things don’t work out, we’ll put you back’,” Marrone recalled. “He had a ton of talent, but he did it.”
As the Patriots continue to put the finishing touches on their offensive line, both Campbell and Membou project as the main options atop the draft. But, New England will explore all avenues — especially if Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter slide to No. 4 against all expectations — and not pigeonhole themselves into a certain type of player.
“I mean, I play with all different types of left tackles — some guys that have been real athletic, some guys that have been really tall and long, some guys that have been short and quick. So I think it’s tough that if you want to say, OK, this is exactly what you’re looking for,” Marrone said.
“I try not to get stuck in my mind of putting a — it has to be this, has to be that… I think it’s a matter of getting the players in, working with them, seeing what happens, and seeing what they can handle.”