Campbell will be in charge of protecting QB Drake Maye on the offensive line, Henderson provides a new look in the backfield and Williams could be an under the radar prospect at WR that you aren’t talking about! That’s how Orlovsky broke it down and there could be a serious Year 2 jump for the Patriots.
Funny enough, these were the first three draft picks for New England in the spring. The foundation is set and now it’s on them to make their mark.
“The Patriots first three picks, I’m obsessed with them,” Orlovsky said on NFL Live. “You know, Will Campbell in the first round, the protection for Drake Maye, the backside, and TreVeyon Henderson in the second round at running back. And then Kyle Williams. I think Kyle Williams has the chance to be as impactful a rookie receiver that we have in the NFL this year, and if those three rookies can be big time players for the Patriots, there’s a chance this organization and team are going to make noise a lot sooner than people expect.”
Maye was already thrilled at the prospect of Campbell protecting him up front back in May, no pun intended. The former LSU star was the No. 4 overall pick by the Patriots and largely seen as the top tackle in the draft.
When talking on stage during the television broadcast of the draft, Campbell said he’s “gonna fight and die to protect” Maye standing back in the pocket. That’s exactly what you want in your offensive linemen across the board.
“I listened to it live,” Maye said, via NFL.com. “It gets you going, gets your juices going. I think it makes you want to go out there and play football now. Pumped that we picked Will. We got a chance to meet him when he flew in on Friday. Pumped to get things going. Obviously, he seems like a football player. That’s what you want around here.”
Henderson’s stats speak for themselves over the course of four years at Ohio State. The Patriots rookie running back had 3,761 yards, 42 touchdowns, 6.4 yards per carry, 77 catches, 853 yards and six touchdown receptions.
Williams, who played at UNLV and Washington State, is the sneaky pick from Orlovsky. In five seasons, the new Patriots wide receiver had 248 catches, 3,609 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14.6 yards per catch.
