Here's some of what I heard at the Combine. This intel comes from people who work for teams, not talking heads (of which I've been one) or your favorite internet aggregator.
Will Campbell, the offensive lineman from LSU, remains the player most tied to the Patriots at 4, but this feels like a game of telephone, i.e., 'The Pats need to protect Drake Maye, and Campbell is most teams' highest-rated guy.' However, arm length is an issue for most, despite some of my trusted scouts believing Campbell can be a left tackle. But what kind of left tackle is my response? The consensus seems to be good out there but not necessarily great. Whereas, everyone I talked to - and everyone (about a dozen or so folks) - believes Campbell is a Pro Bowl/All-Pro caliber guard. Hell, a couple think he could be the same at center (at 6'6", he feels a little tall for me at that spot but I digress...)
I asked Mike Vrabel for his thoughts about arm length on tackles Tuesday during his spin-off with local media (after his stint at the podium).
“I think that arm length is good only up until the point to where you use it, right? I think if guys are sitting there and they’re catching or they’re clamping or their hands are outside, they’re not as long as maybe they would be if you punched."
Vrabel has always been a hands-on coach, but during his season with the Browns, he eventually spent the back half of the season with the offensive line. That has altered his perspective or at least given him greater detail and insight into what needs to happen out there.
"So much technique changes now, having seen some of the offensive linemen and probably being with that group a little bit more extensively last season in Cleveland, there’s a lot of independent hand punchers. There are players that will punch with an independent hand and then bring a second one in or some there are two-hand punches. So I think the most important thing is how you use whatever length you have. If you’re a long arm player that uses the length, then great, that’s an added plus. If you’re maybe an average-length player who doesn’t use the length, that would be difficult. But if you’re using it, then that can be positive.”
Campbell does use what length he has, say those who have studied his tape. His foot speed is excellent, although some scouts noted that he's not as flexible as you'd like him to be (his kick-step/recovery needs work). Campbell allowed 18 pressures this season, and one exec told me the common thread for most of those was - wait for it - "His length. Gets beat inside when he opens the gate because he can't reach the defender, and gets beat outside because he can't get his hands on a speedier edge to keep them off his outside shoulder." It should be noted that the same person wanted to hammer home that Campbell is "a stud" but "just not at tackle."
Sticking with tackles who may or may not have the measurables to play tackle, Missouri's Armand Membou is gaining a lot of traction. He's only 6'3", but his tape this past season was "exceptional," according to one college scouting director. "Not sure anyone played tackle better than he did." Membou manned the right side for 30 straight starts (he sat out the bowl game). "So quick, and he's got some nasty in his game," added an exec familiar with the tape.
If you were thinking about receiver Tetairoa McMillan, I'm told his interviews this week and going forward are a critical piece of the puzzle (as they are for lots of guys). In this case, however, there is a concern that McMillan doesn't love the game and can "check out" if he's not getting his touches. I'm not sure the latter makes him abnormal for that position, but when you combine that with his lack of high-end speed, you start to see why he could fall out of the top 10.
On the flip side, an assistant coach whose team needs a top receiver thinks McMillan is "super smooth, surprisingly fluid (for his size) and still can eat space" because of his stride length (he's 6'5"). He added that while he doesn't love comps ("it's never apples to apples"), McMillan could be a "Drake London-type" player. London has had 72, 69, and 100-catch seasons over his first three years in the league.
Earlier this week, we asked Vrabel if the Pats need a legit #1 receiver.
"One, it’s hard to find. You usually have to draft them. But then sometimes, based on circumstances, available for trade,” he said. “I think we’ll explore every opportunity that we can to add great players that we feel like are the right fit and we feel like, and that can help us. There’s only so many options in free agency, and in trade and the draft. We’ll explore all three of those.”
One more draft nugget: Mykel Williams has fans in the Pats organization. You understand why. He's 6'5", 260 pounds, has go-go gadget arms (34 3/8" length, 82 7/8' wingspan), and doesn't turn 21 until the end of June (I'm friggin' old). Williams is already a good run defender, but it's the wingspan and quick get-off that have teams salivating at the possibility of a double-digit sack artist coming off the edge. "He's so intriguing. He's got traits for days," one scout gushed to me. "Played right away there too, for an awesome defense, and fit right in." But an assistant coach wondered, "Shouldn't there be more production?" Williams never had more than 5.5 sacks in a single season and played most of the year on an ankle injury suffered in the opener against Clemson. I will add - and I mentioned this on Early Edition two Fridays ago - some in the league wonder if Williams might be best suited to adding 15 pounds (the frame can handle it) and kicking inside on passing downs.
FREE AGENCY BUZZ FROM INDY
Let's address the elephant in the room, which is Tee Higgins. Nothing that I heard from people who know changed my viewpoint. If he becomes available, the Patriots will be a suitor. But, as of right now, the wideout is unavailable, and the Bengals continue prioritizing Higgins, even over Trey Hendrickson. I know there's another report out there - unsourced - that suggests the Pats wouldn't be in the mix, but Higgins has fans in the organization and would be someone they'd be comfortable spending money on - or, as a source said, as comfortable as you can be at that price (expected to be over $30 million per).
- Milton Williams is a very popular player. In fact, he has become the prize of this period. $20 million per appears to be the floor for any deal, and the Pats are expected to be involved. One scout said, "He fits how they want to play up front under Vrabel. He can get up the field and impact the QB." Considering the uncertainty over Christian Barmore (he'll have a medical check around April 1) and the decision to move on from Davon Godchaux, Williams is both logical and practical.
- A team source pointed me in the direction of the offensive line. While there may not be a highly-priced guy available (Ronnie Stanley, the just-franchise-tagged Trey Smith), there are plenty of B/B-/C+ players who, as I was told, are "better than what's on the roster" or, at the very least, capable of "creating the competition that didn't exist last year." Teven Jenkins (Chicago) and Patrick Mekari (Baltimore) are two names others around the league anticipate the Pats being in on.
- Asked around on Deebo Samuel. The consensus is he just can't separate versus man coverage, so unless the Pats find that kind of player via trade/FA/draft, he doesn't exist on the roster (sorry, Bourne, Polk, Boute). That doesn't seem like someone who would make sense here, but desperate times may call for desperate measures.
HOT FOR HAROLD?
When news at the Combine broke that the Titans had granted Harold Landry permission to seek a trade, the immediate reaction amongst Pats fans was 'Go get him.' He played and excelled under Vrabel, and he was one of the players that the Tennessee regime was willing to extend and pay what was then big money to the former Boston College standout.
However, with no guaranteed money remaining in the final two years of his deal, Landry wants something more concrete, and new GM Mike Borgonzi and his band of merry men (their front office is a convoluted mess) have balked. Ergo, Landry's request to move on and the Titans' willingness to float his name out there was likely a last-ditch attempt to get a day-three pick for him. Otherwise, a release is almost a lock.
I reached out to one of my contacts with the Titans, and the first thing he mentioned was that Arden Key was the better edge player for the team this year. Key statistically didn't have the same type of counting season (9 sacks for Landry, 6.5 for Key, 71 tackles vs. 43), but he was significantly more effective with his reps. His pass-rush win rate of 11.5% dwarfed that of Landry's (4.8%). Key was also better the year before under Vrabel, although at least Landry was more efficient (10.3% win rate) than in 2024. Landry wins with speed, and after suffering an ACL injury in 2022 (the year after his only Pro Bowl appearance), he hasn't had the same explosiveness off the edge.
DO THE RIGHT THING
Everyone in Indianapolis expects Myles Garrett to get traded, and a handful of teams have put the game’s best edge rusher at the top of their off-season wish list. The question is: Will Browns GM Andrew Berry have the heart to do it?
Garrett is one of the franchise’s most iconic players, and at 29, he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. But he has had enough of the Deshaun Watson ride and another rebuild. Despite Cleveland’s insistence that they have no desire to move him, Garrett has made it clear publicly and privately that he won’t be showing up…for anything.
Berry is in year six of the job, and having Watson on his resume is certainly a blight, but adding a trade of Garrett might be too much for one man to take. However, it’s the right move, and if ownership had a clue, they’d order their GM to put the ‘For Sale’ on their best asset and see what it can fetch. Of course, the Haslems were the ones that drove not only the deal for Watson but the fully guaranteed contract, which remains a sore spot for tight-fisted owners everywhere. In other words, there’s no telling where their heads are (up their hindquarters, perhaps?).
The belief league-wide is that two first-round picks will get it done, and because some of those likely to be involved (Buffalo, Washington) believe they can win now, Berry might be able to squeeze a little more before free agency starts. That means it's time to move now or risk those teams moving on to plan B quickly or waiting to fill that need in the draft, which is 6.5 weeks after the start of free agency. Would the Browns risk dragging their feet beyond those two checkpoints? Khalil Mack got traded for a haul right before the season, so it’s not unheard of, but the likelihood that Cleveland would get less the longer they wait is probably more based on reality. I don’t know if Berry and his bosses are living in the real world or some alternate reality. History tells us it’s the latter.
QUICK HITTERS
- Aaron Rodgers reportedly contacted the Giants to see if they’d be interested in his services for the upcoming season. I broke out the crystal ball, and it showed Brian Daboll spontaneously combusting during a game. No way he would tolerate Rodgers running the play clock down to one second on a critical third down only to throw a quick hitter four yards shy of the sticks.
- It's pretty rare that you’d hear a head coach go on a podcast and openly talk about his quarterback’s age, injury history, and contract. But Sean McVay did that very thing with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth’s pod. I understand why the Rams don’t want to pay Stafford, who’s made the second most money in NFL history, a market value contract ($50+ million) at 37 years old. That said, he is their best option for winning now, and a move to say Rodgers or Sam Darnold just won’t play the same, despite McVay’s confidence in his system and himself. Stafford can still sling it as well as anyone. I thought they’d figure this out, but I’m less confident of how this plays out. The Giants and Raiders have both engaged Stafford's camp to gauge interest. That would be a desperate move by New York, but GM Joe Schoen and Daboll's jobs depend on winning this year.