The Rise, Fall, Rise and Fall of Bruce Campbell
All the physical tools, none of the intelligence.
We’ve talked a lot about Maryland left tackle Bruce Campbell simply because he’s been projected as a first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft and the Green Bay Packers badly need a left tackle.
The thing with Campbell is, he’s all over the board.
Campbell was labeled as one of four year-one starting caliber left tackles at the end of the season, but then came the discovery that he looks terrible on film. In short, Campbell has all the physical tools, but didn’t do much with them.
At the combine, Campbell tore it up. In addition to running a 4.84 40-yard dash, Campbell blew away the competition in the cone drill. While that turned a lot of heads and moved Campbell up on more than a few draft boards, there were still doubters because of what scouts saw on film.
But the latest news on Campbell could finally be the thing that moves him out of the first round for good.
Bruce Campbell is a dumbass.
Bob McGinn reported that Campbell scored an 18 on the Wonderlic, a 50-question general intelligence exam given at the combine. The top five tackles scored between 20 and 29, while Campbell’s 18 is one less than the overall average.
Over the last few weeks, the Journal Sentinel polled 21 personnel people, asking them who among the top offensive linemen had the best chance to bust. The fact that Campbell led with 12 votes can be attributed to a variety of reasons, but mental acuity was cited by four scouts.
“It’s the mental that will get him,” said one personnel director who has been in interviews with Campbell. “When he’s talking he’s not a quick thinker. He’s a slow process, a very slow process guy. Somebody will have to tell him what to do all the time.”
Another evaluator said Campbell had a “neurological slowness that’s extremely scary.”
That’s a good signal the Packers won’t be looking at Campbell. The only member of the Packers’ current offensive line who scored worse on the Wonderlic was Allen Barbre, who got an 11, and you know how well Barbre has played for the Packers.
The good news for the Packers is the group of tackles in this year’s draft is strong whether you like Campbell or not.
Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung, Oklahoma’s Trent Williams, Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga, Rutgers’ Anthony Davis and USC’s Charles Brown could all go in the first round. The Packers may have a shot at Davis and will likely have an opportunity to pick Brown.
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I would rather see the Packers try to trade their 2nd round pick for Jared Gaither. He has very low miles and we know he can play in the NFL.
Bruce Campbell is not a bust risk because of his Wonderlic score as this article assumes. It is because his film does not back up his athletic ability. instead of assuming, and making an “dumb-ass of yourself”, stretch your fingers and do a simple Google search to cure your lethargy. His IQ is not in question, but rather football IQ. Comparing him to Barbre is a stretch. his Wonderlic Score of 19 is closer to the top 5 tackles than Barbre (11). If you wanted to be cleaver, you could have said he has similar physical attributes as A. Barbre, but the problem with this is that so does Trent Williams, who is supposedly one of the top tier level OTs. You may not want to make this argument.
THE PACK DOES NEED OT’S BUT IF OLB BRANDON GRAHAM IS THERE WHEN THE PACKERS PICK THEY SHOULD TAKE HIM TO COMPLIMENT MATHEWS ON THE OTHER END.