LSU coach makes big guarantee about what Will Campbell will offer Patriots

Since April 24, numerous stories have touched upon how first-year New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wanted to make LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell the fourth pick of the 2025 NFL Draft because of what Campbell can offer the club on game days and in the locker room. 

During a recent chat with Karen Guregian of MassLive, LSU offensive line coach Brad Davis addressed what Campbell can immediately give the Patriots during springtime workouts. 

"He was the leader of our team," Davis said about Campbell. "The heartbeat of our team, for that matter. He’s absolutely going to change the organization. Not to say the place needs to be changed, it’s a real good organization. But I’m going to tell you, this kid is going to make an impact that hasn’t been felt around there in a while. He’s special. I’m not making this up because I’m his coach. I’m just telling you who he is."

Much has been made throughout the offseason about how Vrabel, a Patriots Hall of Famer who earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the club from 2001-08, wants to improve the culture of a franchise that missed the playoffs four times over the past five campaigns and that is coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons. Months before former Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was shown the door following his one season in charge, he publicly said he felt his team was"soft."

Some suggested before the draft that New England should've had Missouri's Armand Membou ranked as the best offensive tackle in this year's class, in part because of Campbell's arm length. Legendary offensive line coach and assistant head coach Dante Scarnecchia is among those who disagree with such assessments based on how Campbell performed in college. 

"He’s not going to overmatch everybody he plays against," Davis added about Campbell. "He’s just going to go out and work at his craft. He’s going to prepare throughout the week. He’s going to study his opponent. He’s going to give himself every advantage he can give himself. So, he doesn’t just rely on his physical talent. He’s going to study the most intricate parts of a defender’s game. Their stance, their hand placement, their alignment...from Sunday to Friday, that’s where he excelled. That’s the part the Patriots saw."

According to Pro Football Reference, New England quarterback and 2024 first-round draft pick Drake Maye ended his rookie season with the league's fourth-highest sack percentage (9.14 percent) among signal-callers who made a minimum of eight starts. As much as Vrabel seemingly is looking to anoint new leaders in Campbell and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, the coach will also need those first-year pros to be day-one contributors beginning in September.