Bust-O-Meter: Bruce Campbell

But somebody will make a mistake and draft him a lot higher than he should be drafted (maybe Oakland???).

By far the biggest bust potential in my opinion.

NEVER!!!! How dare you speak of a Terp like that!

Do you mind describing what a “bust” means to you? Is your expectation that Campbell never becomes an NFL starting LT or lasts less than a season? Or if he is selected in the top ten and then does not make the Pro Bowl or otherwise establish himself as an above average LT, is that a bust?

I have tried to figure out what people mean by that term. Some give players a free pass if their career is cut short by injury or some other freak incident. I’m not that generous.

In my mind a bust is a guy who is chosen in the first round [only] and does not have an above average and more than five year career in the NFL. The earlier the player is picked, the tougher I judge his achievements. I don’t consider guys picked in the second round [or later] as busts. Disappointments, yes. Busts, no.

cuz when Campbell was on the field, he was pretty damn good, while JPP seemed to just coast along.

I don’t think he’s on the Giants radar, but I think that given he’s a bit raw and wouldn’t have to start right away..given the Giants excellent OL coach, he’d be a good pick.

Depends on where he goes and what’s expected of him right away.

Campbell is risky, no doubt about it. But you’re basing his bust potential on how great he did at the combine?

That he did so well at the combine was not a surprise. It was expected. It did raise his stock, but he was already a mid to late 1st rounder, in the pack with Bulaga and Williams a tier below Okung.

He’s risky because he’s had a couple knee injuries, one of them an MCL sprain (dunno how significant that is, it’s just that I remember specifically what one of them was), and because he hasn’t had a lot of playing time. Left a year early, missed time from the 2 injuries, no injuries in high school, converted TE. So with about a season and a half of playing time at tackle, we wonder how well he’s picked it up.

He’s not raw. I’ve read that several times, but he’s got technique down, and he seems well developed in playing the position. He’s a little sloppy. But then I’m not so sure Okung isn’t sloppier. Okung’s mistakes just seemed more pronounced. Campbell’s mistakes often left him in position to recover. Although I did see a few times where his tendency to proactively engage pass rushers rather than catching them allowed them to use his momentum against him and get around him. He’s a quick responder but not a shrewd anticipator.

He’s behind on development. I think people take that as higher risk to not develop, but really it’s more of an indicator that he may have been an even better prospect next year.

Given he has a fair grasp of technique, and gives very good effort, I don’t think the risk is that he won’t develop into an NFL tackle, or will be exposed, I think the risk is that he may not develop into a great NFL tackle on par with his talents. Like Bryant McKinnie and Alex Barron, guys who are at least average and very capable (Alex Barron would be, if he didn’t have the chronic false start problem) but just didn’t fully realize their superior physical talents.

To the contrary, I think Campbell is safe-ish. Okung and Bulaga are at least as risky (Okung having talent and skill, somewhat technique but hasn’t yet developed into a player, an NFL tackle, and Bulaga’s got a thyroid condition, arms on the verge of being too short, and is a lot closer to his ceiling than most prospects (meaning he ought to be a late 1st)). He’s got a higher ceiling, and not a super strong chance of realizing the full ceiling. But his floor isn’t lower than Okung’s; it’s on par.

At least that is my opinion, Jamarcus Russell has tons of talent, not so much intelligence & his intangibles ( heart ) seem lacking. I think it is hard to predict which way players are going to go after signing that 1st multi-million dollar contract. Bruce Campbells injury history is significant but he is very talented & to me at least does not seem to be a 10 on the bust meter, more like a 6 because I don’t think he has been healthy for a full season. IMO Jahvid Best would be a higher risk because of his concussions & the position that he plays

If a team thinks they can draft Campbell and just throw him in, they’ll earn themselves a bust.

He’s going to take patience, careful usage early on and a lot of attention from his line coach. Interviewing Campbell you are going to have to find out how much physical intelligence he has, and how much he desires to become an elite tackle. If he is high in both then the sky is the limit for him. If not he’s a bust.

I can’t wait till Campbell takes Dwight Freeny by the shoulder pads and slams him on the ground during a pass rush.