INDIANAPOLIS -- Arm length has been a big 2026 NFL Draft topic, and Utah's Spencer Fano figures to be one of the players at the center of that conversation after his measurements at the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday.
The 6-foot-5 1/2, 311-pound Fano checks a lot of boxes for NFL scouts and roundly has been projected to be one of the first offensive linemen drafted this spring. He's NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah's No. 14-ranked prospect for good reason -- there's a lot to like about the athletic, active Fano.
But Fano's arm length (32 1/8 inches) could be a hang-up for NFL teams that might be considering him as a tackle at the next level. Fano started in 2023 at left tackle and at right tackle the past two seasons. Yet, Fano's arms fall below the typical 33-inch standard for NFL tackles.
How big a deal is it for him? Well, we're coming off a Super Bowl in which Patriots LT Will Campbell allowed 14 pressures and was continually beaten by Seahawks rushers. Campbell's 32 5/8-inch arms were a topic of discussion at the combine a year ago, although a strong workout helped him go fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to New England.
The Patriots have backed Campbell and say he’ll remain at left tackle. With Fano, if some teams were not engaging in a tackle versus guard debate about him prior to his combine arm-length measurement, it's almost certain they will now.
Outside of Campbell, it's hard to find tackles going high in Round 1 that don't have at least 33-inch arms. Rashawn Slater measured with 33-inch arms and was branded a tackle by the Chargers. Alijah Vera-Tucker, like Fano, had 32 1/8-inch arms and was moved to guard by the Jets. Peter Skoronski was a shade longer at 32 1/4 inches, but it still wasn't enough to prevent a move to guard -- and he slipped out of the top 10 after often being projected to go slightly higher in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Fano did a lot of good things during his combine workout. His 40-yard dash time (4.91 seconds) was tied for second-fastest among all offensive linemen, behind only Iowa center Logan Jones' time of 4.90 seconds. Fano's 10-yard split was also excellent at 1.72 seconds, third among all blockers. Solid jumping numbers (32-inch vertical, 9-foot-3 broad jump) helped, too. Fano's on-field work during the OL drills appeared smooth and efficient.
"I feel like I had a really good time on the L drill," Fano told NFL Network's Stacey Dales. "I don't know, I just enjoyed getting out and moving today."
But the arm length won't be ignored. There is plenty of draft data to suggest that a move to guard is highly possible, and even if he does stay at tackle, Fano's chances of being a top-10 pick took a hit with the shorter measurement.
Plus, as Jeremiah noted on Fano in his top-50 rankings, Fano is "still developing as a pass protector," yet also projects as "an explosive people mover." That reads like a scouting report that might preclude a college tackle staying outside in the NFL anyway.
Credit to Fano for not holding firm on what position he wants to play. He told Dales that he'd be willing to play anywhere in the NFL, even taking snaps at center during the workout to broaden his appeal.
"If you want me to play center, I'll play center," Fano said. "I'll do whatever it takes to be great in this league."
It remains to be seen what NFL teams think of Fano, and his on-field work in Indianapolis was impressive, but arm length is one of those hard-and-fast numbers that more often than not will dictate a college blocker's future home in the league.
