In the weeks leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots were actively exploring options to bolster their offensive line, particularly at the left tackle position. Amid this, the reports hit the headlines that the Raiders‘ offensive tackle, Kolton Miller, had been absent from the Raiders’ voluntary offseason workouts due to stalled contract negotiations. And that’s where it got pretty interesting. Pats desperately needed help to protect Drake Maye, and trade rumors for Miller were spreading like a wildfire.
Fast forward to now, and Mike Vrabel did get an offensive tackle. But not through a trade. And not Kolton Miller. In fact, the New England team used their No. 4th pick to draft someone new, snagging LSU’s Will Campbell. Smart move or gamble? Time will tell. But for the time being, it’s safe to say that the Patriots just scooped one of the best offensive prospects. The reason?
Well, the guy was announced as the starting left tackle right after joining LSU. He started in 38 games and didn’t allow a single sack in the 2023 season. Safe to say, Campbell was a human shield for Jayden Daniels. And now? Now that the Patriots have selected him with the 4th overall pick, the 21-year-old Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner is set to protect Drake Maye.
On Friday, Campbell was asked if he had met with Maye and about his reaction to the QB’s comments after the Patriots selected him. “Yeah, I mean that’s my quarterback,” Campbell said during his interview at Gillette Stadium. “So I’m just super excited to continue to build the relationship with him. Get to know each other as people. That’s something I’m looking for. I’m a quarterback guy. I care about him a lot. Off the field and on the field.”
Will Campbell on his relationship with Drake Maye
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Maye didn’t just talk with Campbell, he even met with his family. “We were able to talk. He met my family. So that was pretty cool. Just talk for a little bit. We had a bunch of stuff. We had stuff to do. It was short and sweet. That was nice to show.” While giving an emotional interview in Green Bay once the Pats picked him, Campbell immediately started crying, thinking about his hard work over the years.
Right after that went down, Maye took to his official IG handle and re-shared a clip of his emotional interview, and seemed excited to work with his tackle. “Love this guy already,” Maye wrote with a fire emoji. “LFG.” Now that Campbell is heading to New England, the pressure will be on, no doubt. But he’ll be joining the team’s roster with huge expectations from a 4th overall pick.
Drake Maye’s OT gets high praise from the Super Bowl champion
While the Jacksonville Jaguars moved up after trading with the Cleveland Browns to select Travis Hunter at No. 2, the Patriots didn’t receive any trade requests from the teams. Turns out, the six-time Super Bowl champions selected Will Campbell at No. 4. The newly appointed head coach, Mike Vrabel, described their decision to pick him as “very easy.”
And amidst the mixed reactions to his selection, the former LSU tackle has been receiving high praise from the NFL legends. The former Patriots safety, Rodney Harrison, called Campbell the “Perfect Patriot.” While talking with MassLive’s Karen Guregian, Harrison noted that “If I’m trying to build a championship team, it starts up front. If you go get a tackle that can protect you’re young quarterback the next 4 or 5 years, and you bring in a locker room presence like Campbell, you can start building.”
Ever since Vrabel joined the Patriots, everyone knew he’d focus on building the roster from the trenches, and it looks like he’s sticking to that plan. One of the biggest talking points, though, was Will Campbell’s arm measurement. But when asked about it, Vrabel didn’t hesitate to address the concern and quickly shut down any talk about it.
“Everybody has a play style, everybody has a skill set, and it’s what you do within that skill set and the tricks that you learn in this business and how you play and how you do your job,” Vrabel said. “I think he’s (Campbell) learned a lot of those, to play on the left side and to pass protect.” To spice things up, sources from MassLive say that Campbell will start right away at left tackle. With the Patriots drafting such a high-caliber offensive tackle, it looks like the first pick of Mike Vrabel’s era is ready to make an impact on the team’s offense right off the bat.
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