The New England Patriots are so determined to be sure about their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft they made a last-minute visit to meet with the player most likely to be taken with the fourth-overall choice.
Just hours before the draft gets underway on Thursday, April 24, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirmed “#Patriots brass traveled to Louisiana in recent days to visit with LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell, per sources. New England has been linked to the All-American tackle with its No. 4 overall pick and is doing more work on him late in the process.”
Will Campbell has long been considered the prospect the Pats will take first to kickstart their rebuild under new head coach Mike Vrabel. That consensus has gained more credibility with news team officials were still kicking Campbell’s tyres at the last minute.
This visit isn’t a sign of desperation, even if doubts persist about Campbell’s physical profile and ability to stay at left tackle in the pros. Rather, this late visit was more likely a final check of all the bases to ensure everybody’s on the same page about setting the pick.
Either way, it would be something more than a mild shock at this stage if the Patriots don’t send the name of arguably the best offensive lineman in this class to the podium early in the opening round.
Patriots Comfortable With Will Campbell’s Draft Profile
Vrabel is not among those who worry about Campbell’s arm length. The man guiding the newest era of the Patriots doesn’t see his projected top pick having to switch to guard at the next level.
Instead, Vrabel views Campbell as a necessary tone-setter for what he’s trying to build in New England. As Fowler’s colleague Mike Reiss put it, Campbell’s “nasty on-field demeanour and team-first attitude would likely appeal to Vrabel, as Vrabel builds his culture here in New England.”
Reiss also mentioned the Patriots desire to erect better “infrastructure” around would-be franchise quarterback Drake Maye. Campbell ticks that box, even if he’s not the wow pick some might hope for on draft day.
Will Campbell Has Consistently Given Patriots the Right Answers
As a mauler in the pits, Campbell plays with the kind of physical edge Vrabel will want to restore to the Patriots. Yet Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as an outside linebacker for the Pats and turned the Tennessee Titans into rugged contenders as a head coach, knows toughness can only take a team so far.
Vrabel wants smarts as well, a quality Campbell consistently demonstrated to the Patriots throughout the pre-draft process. It’s something The Ringer’s Todd McShay explained on “The Todd McShay Show” (h/t New England Sports Fellow).
McShay revealed the Patriots “are satisfied with he can do the job at left tackle for them, and they are in love with the individual. With the football intelligence, with the recall.”
While adding a smart football player is always a good thing, the first line from McShay is the most significant. Vrabel and general manager Eliot Wolf need to be sure Campbell can cut it as an eventually elite left tackle in the NFL to justify bypassing a playmaker like dynamic running back Ashton Jeanty or a preternatural edge-rusher like Abdul Carter.
Left tackle is arguably the second-most important position in the modern game, and Maye is going to need to rely on Campbell. It’s the only way the young signal-caller can lead the kind of revival the Patriots are hoping for after back-to-back 4-13 seasons.
