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Patriots know which player they are picking at No. 4 overall?
Louisiana State University offensive lineman Will Campbell. Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Patriots know which player they are picking at No. 4 overall?

The New England Patriots have plenty of needs to address in the upcoming NFL Draft, but there is a growing sense that they already know which player they will select with their first-round pick on Thursday night.

The Patriots have the fourth overall pick in this year's draft. That will leave them with plenty of potential immediate-impact players to choose from. Oddsmakers believe LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell will be the guy.

Odds that were listed by FanDuel Sportsbook on Saturday had Campbell as an overwhelming -900 favorite to be drafted by the Patriots at No. 4 overall. Abdul Carter was a distant second on the list at +1000, followed by Ashton Jeanty at +1600.

The Patriots went 4-13 in each of the past two seasons. Their offensive line has been a major issue for quite some time. Campbell is viewed by most analysts as the best tackle in the draft, and New England desperately needs help at the position.

Carter will likely only be available at No. 4 if the New York Giants select Shedeur Sanders (or another quarterback) third overall. Most recent reports have suggested the former Colorado quarterback will not be taken that high. That is probably a big factor in why Campbell is heavily favored to wind up in New England.

While Patriots fans might be more excited about a 5-foot-9 player who can dunk a basketball, Campbell is a safe bet to succeed in the NFL and step into a starting role immediately. It seems like Mike Vrabel and company have already decided that the consensus All-American can help get them on the right track.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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