The New England Patriots drafted offensive tackle Will Campbell fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft with high expectations of him making an immediate impact to better protect second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
The top priority for new head coach Mike Vrabel was to upgrade the offensive line, starting with left tackle, and he did so by drafting Campbell. He also added two veteran offensive linemen with Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses, to bring experience and leadership to a younger group.
With all signs indicating that Campbell is going to be the Day 1 starter at left tackle, there are some concerns about his production early in the schedule that he can address in Week 1 against the Raiders, having to go up against All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Crosby is one of the most physically relentless and dominant players coming off the end in the NFL. He has back-to-back years from 2022-2023 of 89 and 90 tackles respectively, and led the league in tackles for a loss with 22 and 23 in the same years.
An early look at the Raiders' depth chart shows Crosby as the left defensive end, so he wouldn’t be across from Campbell, who will be at left tackle. But there’s the possibility that he would rotate over to the right side to better his chances at getting in the backfield through a rookie tackle.
The same can be said in Week 3 against Pittsburgh with TJ Watt, Carolina with Derrick Brown in Week 4, Buffalo with Joey Bosa in Week 5, New Orleans with Chase Young in Week 6, and Cleveland with Myles Garrett in Week 8.
Since Campbell is a rookie, all we have to go off of is his college film, which showed him only giving up five sacks in 2,553 snaps over three years and 38 games at LSU. In 2024, he allowed only two sacks in over 557 pass-blocking opportunities.
What Campbell needs is just experience on the job at the NFL level. He’s starting to get it, though, with the beginning of OTAs starting this week. That said, Patriots insider Phil Perry noted on the Patriots Talk Podcast that Campbell got beat on the edge by Keion White on a play, while Tom E. Curran said that Campbell looked to be more “narrow” than he’s used to seeing from an offensive tackle.
"His shoulders are markedly more narrow than one would be accustomed to seeing. He’s not as barrel chested and braud as a normal left tackle. When you look down from the hill that we’re standing on watching him in his stance at work, he’s a little more narrow at the top than you’re accustomed to seeing"Tom E. Curran on Campbell
I don’t want to get into Campbell’s body structure; we heard enough about his arm length during the pre-draft process, and now Curran is suggesting that his shoulders aren’t up to the standard size of an offensive tackle. It’s getting to be too much anatomy than it is about what he can do on the field.
What isn’t being accounted for with Campbell is his overall technique. I understand that OTAs are only in helmets, and we haven’t seen him work full-time in pads yet to see how he maneuvers himself from a closer viewpoint, but his technique works, and that should matter.
Campbell will likely struggle at times during his rookie season, and it should be expected. But he’s a smart and passionate football player who will learn on the fly at times, and he won’t allow himself to make the same mistake twice or even in the same game.
After OTAs, Campbell was seen talking to the side with his veteran teammate, Moses, to show him a few extra things while they’re on the field together. Moses is 13 years older than Campbell and has 12 years of NFL experience, and has taken him under his wing. Their lockers are next to each other, and that was not a coincidence.
The first half of the schedule is certainly going to test Campbell, but I think he’s going to learn quickly and have a great rookie season.