The New England Patriots got their guy in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL draft, but head coach Mike Vrabel still thinks there could be a problem regarding fourth-overall pick Will Campbell.
It doesn’t concern whether the former stud in the trenches for LSU will play left tackle or guard in the pros. Rather, Vrabel is worried tape could surface of his hands-on workout with Campbell during the pre-draft process.
The Patriots put Campbell through a late workout a week before the draft, a visit Vrabel said “cemented the pick,” according to MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels. Vrabel could feel confident about Campbell because it was the coach who personally put the 21-year-old through his paces.
As Daniels revealed, “Vrabel put on a pad and worked out” the eventual No. 4 pick. Vrabel thinks “If that tape ever gets out, people are going to have some problems… It was important for me to get out there and feel him and feel every player we evaluated on the line of scrimmage.”
The Patriots were wise to do whatever it took to get a full and accurate reading on Campbell. His selection was close to a no-brainer in terms of need and fit, but question marks about how his physical profile will translate at the next level made this a tricky assessment for Vrabel.
Fortunately, the coach went beyond the metrics to gain first-hand knowledge of Campbell’s play strength. It was an education earned the hard way when Campbell revealed he dumped the former three-time Super Bowl-winning outside linebacker to the ground, per Daniels: “I’m not going to lie, I got him. I got him on the ground.”
He took his lumps, but what Vrabel learned from those tussles with Campbell will likely inform where the player begins his career in the NFL.
Patriots Already Know Where Will Campbell Is Going to Play
Vrabel isn’t concerned about Campbell’s apparent lack of arm length preventing him from staying at tackle. As the coach put it, per Daniels, Campbell’s “a left tackle. That’s what he’s played. That’s what he’s done. He’ll come in and compete to be the left tackle. Everybody will compete for their spots.”
It’s important for the Patriots to declare their plans for Campbell early. Especially when those plans involve him becoming the new blindside protector for would-be franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
Putting a stronger line around Maye was a priority when Vrabel took the job this offseason. He and general manager Eliot Wolf capped some solid work that involved adding veteran right tackle Morgan Moses and replacing longtime starting center David Andrews with Garrett Bradbury during free agency, by sticking to their plan for Campbell.
That plan was already taking shape as early as the early stages of Campbell’s final year with the Tigers.
Patriots Long Had Will Campbell Draft Plan
The Patriots have had their eyes on Campbell since Week 5 of the last college football season, according to the player. He revealed “This is where I wanted to be from the start. Eliot Wolf came to my practice in Week 5 and that’s what I told him,” per Daniels, who also noted Pats scout Alex Brooks joined Wolf for an early look at Campbell.
It’s been set in stone for a while Campbell was the prospect the Patriots coveted. The positive feeling extended to Vrabel, who told reporters, including ESPN’s Mike Reiss, “This was a very, very easy pick for us.”
Taking Campbell was the simple choice because it matched talent with need. Or to put it another way, selecting the best player available to address the Patriots’ biggest area of concern.
Now the focus will shift to Campbell proving Wolf and Vrabel were right to zero in on him early as a potential cornerstone left tackle.
