Rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell is one of the many new faces who'll be suiting up for the New England Patriots against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1. Drafted fourth overall earlier this year, Campbell became an instant Patriots fan favorite right after the 2025 NFL draft when he promised to "fight and die to protect (quarterback Drake Maye) with everything I’ve got."
Maye's health and continued development are paramount to any future success the Patriots will see, which is why fans were completely on board with Campbell's emotional declaration. Even if he had never played a game in a Pats jersey at this point, having a player who's all in right away is exactly what head coach Mike Vrabel wants in his first year behind the bench.
Now that the 2025 campaign is finally here, almost five months after the draft, Campbell still plans to keep his promise to the Patriots' franchise signal-caller.
Will Campbell Vows to Protect Drake Maye Before Patriots Debut
Campbell recently appeared on ex-Patriots greats Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman's "Dudes on Dudes" podcast, where he was asked if he's still willing to die for Maye. Without any hesitation, the former LSU Tiger doubled down on his early offseason statement.
"I would. That’s my guy," Campbell said. "I don’t know what made me say it in the moment, but it came out great. It’s kinda just the emotions flowing."
"You still stand by it?" Gronkowski interjected.
"I stand by it," the 2025 fourth overall pick confirmed.
Campbell's commitment is music to Patriots fans' ears after New England finished with the second-worst Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade (52.2) in 2024. Now, the budding stud is tasked to lead the starting offensive line unit alongside new faces like Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury, as well as rookie center Jared Wilson. Starting right guard Mike Onwenu is also back for his sixth season with the team.
Turning an NFL O-line around isn't easy, but Campbell appears up to the task. For starters, he's coming off a 2024 campaign that saw him win the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the nation's top blocker, all while tallying a career-high 80.6 PFF pass block grade. He's since recorded solid preseason grades for pass protection (80.1), run blocking (87.6), and overall offense (86.2) across 29 snaps with the Pats last month.
The Raiders owned PFF's sixth-worst pass rush last season, which bodes well for Campbell's debut. Keeping Maye's pocket clean in Week 1 will go a long way to ensure that the rookie lineman remains a fan favorite for the foreseeable future.