With Campbell, Patriots Accomplished One Key Goal Thursday Night

Still, the concern remains whether or not Campbell can take his play to the next level. However, for the Patriots, the bigger concern is the fact they couldn’t go into this season without having an upgrade over Vederian Lowe, who started the final 10 games of 2024 for an offensive line that saw 11 different combinations and 16 players who saw action.

Lowe did about as well as could be expected, all things considered.  But having Campbell should have fans feeling a little better.  Even if they might not fully love the selection.

Vrabel told reporters that the Patriots didn’t get any calls when it came to trading down, likely because both Travis Hunter – who the Jaguars traded up with Cleveland at #2 – and Abdul Carter (taken at #3 for the Giants) were both off the board.

That left the Patriots without any real leverage to garner anything of value, and so they stayed and took Campbell.  Had they traded out, the risk of having Lowe start another 17 games was too big of a gamble, especially since there really wasn’t another NFL-ready prospect available had they pivoted and targeted another position.  The two other big names, Oregon’s Josh Conerly, and Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, also came off the board and wouldn’t have been available on night two.

Meanwhile, some have speculated a move inside if Campbell’s unable to handle the rigors of playing tackle in the NFL.  But when asked about the possibility of a “misevaluation” Thursday night, Vrabel said it’s unfair to even broach the topic given that he’s yet to have the opportunity to step onto the field.

“I think that what we’re focused on is where he’s going to be tomorrow and the next day, and not what the mis-evaluation is,” said Vrabel.  “We coveted this player. This was a very good football player. I think part of the draft is adding great pieces and great players to your roster, which is what we did. So he hasn’t even shown up here in Foxborough, and we’re not going to talk about where he’s going to play or what he’s going to do.”

“I’m going to let everything really speak for itself and let his play and what he does in the community, and most importantly on the field, before we start talking about that. I just think that that’s not fair. I’ve never thought about that one time. We’ve watched every game that he’s played, put a lot of work into this, and we’re all excited and happy that he’s here.”

Campbell: Vrabel’s “All Ball, No BS”

After being selected Thursday night as the first member of the class of 2025 Patriots Draft picks, Campbell was emotional during his initial interview after stepping on the stage in Green Bay.

Wearing a green and white striped suit, the 6’6″, 320 pound 21-year-old teared up as the reality of achieving his dream sank in.

He looked up, took a deep breath, and took a moment to collect himself, before making it known that he understands the responsibility that now sits on his shoulders.

“I’ve worked my entire life to be up here, to be able to get my name called by a franchise like New England,” said Campbell.  It means everything to me.”

“I’m going to fight and die to protect them with everything I’ve got.”

Campbell said that he’s known for a while that this is where he wanted to be, which started with a visit from Eliot Wolf last year early in the season as they were scouting him.  After going through the process this spring, those feelings grew and he was glad things ultimately turned out the way they did.

But his interactions with Vrabel seemed to be the difference.  ESPN College Football analyst Pete Thamel reported Thursday night said one workout with the team left an impression.  During that workout, Vrabel donned a chest pad and took on Campbell, challenging him to see exactly what the rookie had.

Thamel said a punch to the chest from the LSU prospect knocked him down, and their overall interaction was one that stuck with Vrabel and cemented the decision.

“Yeah, I mean, I got him,” said Campbell when asked about it.  “I’m not going to lie, I got him on the ground. Then we had a great lunch after. A bunch of great guys. I’m just super excited for this opportunity.”

The rookie added that Vrabel is his kind of coach, and he’s excited to have the chance to play for him.

“Coach Vrabel is my kind of guy,” said Campbell. “He’s all ball, no BS, and that’s what I want to play for. He’s very hands-on. He loves the players that he coaches, and I just want to be a part of that.”

Patriots View Campbell as a Leader

It’s no secret that the Patriots don’t have a lot of guys in their locker room that would be viewed as “cornerstone” guys.  That was something MMQB analyst Albert Breer mentioned during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston Thursday night as they talked about Campbell’s selection.  Breer said that after another recent meeting with him, the team was impressed by the way he carried himself, along with how intelligent Campbell is.

“Mike introduced him to a room full of Patriots people, coaches, scouts, and he had the guys go around one by one and introduce themselves,” said Breer. “And they went around, every guy introduced himself, said one thing about himself. Mike said to Will Campbell, ‘Hey, you got all that?’ And Will went around the room and named every one of them and repeated what they said about themselves.”

“So there are little stories like that I think you’re going to hear about Will Campbell that really, I think, will create some confidence that he can be the culture guy that you’re looking for.”

Phil Perry echoed that sentiment, saying that they feel confident he’ll establish himself as a leader on that side of the football.

“I know for a fact that they view him as a cornerstone type of leader,” said Perry. “And I know they feel as though leadership for people that have been in the building for the last several years, they could use as much as they could get, especially on the offensive side of the ball, especially after they just got rid of a player, David Andrews, who was really one of the few who was providing that thing in the locker room.”

“I know he really made a great impression on them at the combine as well. The visits are one thing, but this has been going back now for months. At the combine, you guys know, you travel around with your position group, right? You do the meetings together, you do the medical together, you do the workouts together. And the Patriots had evaluators, obviously on the ground and up close and personal with that offensive line group for several days. Will Campbell was clearly the leader and the alpha among alphas. This is a guy that guys that are going to the NFL, they’re going to make a lot of money to play offensive line, we’re looking up to.”

Campbell is Not Just a “Good Dude”

To play left tackle in the NFL, you have to possess an edge to go up against some of the big names in the league.

Vrabel said it best last week, when it comes to the type of players they’re looking to add this weekend.

“You can’t win, and you can’t do what we want to do with just a bunch of good dudes,” said Vrabel. “That’s not going to get it done.”

Looking at Campbell, he may have been cordial with reporters and said the right things Thursday night, but on the field, it’s a different story.  When he was asked to describe himself, he used a pretty accurate adjective.

“Nasty,” said Campbell, without hesitation.  “I’m going to go out there and give everything I have, every single play, to protect my teammates, protect my quarterback, and just put the Patriots in the best position possible to help win games on Sundays.”

Former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer said, having watched Campbell in college, he’s already seen examples of it.  On film, Campbell has shown that he’s the type of guy who isn’t afraid ot mix it up, and he sets the example that Vrabel is looking for as a building block for his football team.

“When you watch Will Campbell and the way he plays, he’s tenacious,” said Hoyer.  “And you need one of those guys on the offensive line because if you have one, they all follow suit. I think he’s the type of guy you’re going to see at a joint practice. Someone shoves him, he’s going to shove him right back, and he has that type of ability to be the leader of the offensive line at a young age. I think you see that from his mentality. And hearing all these stories, I think he’s a perfect fit for what the Patriots are trying to build around Drake Maye.”

For now, the Patriots are clearly happy with the selection.  However, the bigger reason to be excited is the fact that they also now have someone to anchor the left side of the line, and be an upgrade from Lowe.  That in and of itself is a huge win, given how last season played out.

Vrabel pointed out that while all left tackles struggle at times in this league, Campbell’s been tested and he’s confident in him as a player.

“They threw the ball a ton,” said Vrabel of LSU’s offense.  “Let’s not kid ourselves. He had more drop-back snaps than pretty much anybody else in college football. They threw the ball 50 times, it wasn’t RPOs like everybody else. So he’s pass protected. He’s run blocked. He’s coming out of a pro system. The terminology, he’s already been through it. I don’t know how many times with our guys or with me, and I think it’s going to be a quick learning curve as far as the scheme.”

“And then again, there’s going to be a learning curve and adjustment to everything that he does. But he’s coming from a great program, one that’s built similar to pro football. Football is very important to him. But we’ll also, just like every other player, we’ll give him exactly what they can handle.”

As a result, the Patriots walked away from Thursday night better than they started, which is one big thing fans can take away.  While they may not love the pick, they might at least like the extra seconds Maye might have this fall.

Until then, Vrabel said they’ll feed Campbell all he can handle as he starts getting ready for his rookie season.

“The ability to finish and to grind through when it gets tough is something that we’re going to be excited about,” said Vrabel.  “We’re going to give him every opportunity to develop and push him as fast as he’ll let us go.”