The Patriots Do Exactly What They Needed to by Drafting Will Campbell

Here's what this pick was. Undramatic. Not sexy. Very much chalk. But absolutely just what this franchise needed at this particular moment. It was the football equivalent of getting the grown up, practical things you actually need for Christmas. A warm coat. A wool hat. Comfy socks. A savings bond. Some AAA Membership in case something goes wrong with your car. As opposed to the shiny new object of a gaming system or whatever. Maybe not what you were dying for; but definitely what you needed.

What I wanted out of this draft was something approaching normalcy. With all due respect to Bill Belichick, we needed to get away from unorthodox thinking. Hunches like N'Keal Harry. Overdrafted reaches like Cole Strange, who might not even make the 2025 roster. No crazy trade downs to pick up some mid-round picks.  Just a solid decision in an area of need that's been neglected for years now.  A guy with a great attitude who has more than held up against the best competition college football has to offer, he positively dominated them for three seasons. 

In fact, the only unexpected part of this selection was that the Patriots No. 4 overall pick showed the capacity to make me cry like Ellen Degeneres getting pepper sprayed:

He's willing to fight and die to protect Drake Maye?

Here's what I wrote as soon it became clear that the fourth pick wasn't going to land Travis Hunter:

[W]ithout a doubt the single biggest area of neglect on the Patriots has been offensive line in general, and left tackle in particular. Since letting Nate Solder leave after the 2017 season and trying to replace him with Isaiah Wynn (unsuccessfully), they've drafted a total of three true offensive tackles, the highest being Wallace 68th overall last year. Wallace may or may not have been a nice try, but the jury is still deliberating on that one since he battled injuries and only took a total of 129 snaps. Moses is the unquestioned right tackle and presumptive veteran leader of this unit to replace David Andrews. But the task of finding someone to protect Drake Maye's precious backside for 700 or so pass attempts is no less a priority than it was last offseason. It's still the Prime Directive. Everything else is secondary. …

At the Indianapolis Kennel Club, he was graded with the third best Production Score, the third best Athleticism Score, and the second highest Overall grade. More to the point is his production at LSU. Despite being just 21 years old, he's already played 38 games. In just shy of 1,600 snaps, he gave up a career total of 32 pressures and only four sacks. None them in 2023 when he was blocking for Jayden Daniels. All while facing the best competition in the country in the SEC.

He does it with a combination of speed, agility, and a powerful punch that knocks edge rushers off balance so he can reset and stay in front of them. He's got the lateral quickness to slide outside and push rushers deep beyond the pocket, and the straight ahead speed to bounce outside on run plays and screens, which is a requirement in Josh McDaniels' system. But despite being light on his cleats, Campbell has the density to anchor in place and hold up against bigger D-linemen, like stunting DTs. If there's an area he needs to improve on, it's picking up rushers slanting inside off the edge. But again, he just turned 21. And one of the things you hear in every assessment of him his how high his Football IQ is. He's a huge film study guy. So with coaching and time, he'll Ace that question on the SATs.

On a related note, another thing that makes Campbell a perfect fit in New England is he plays with a Logan Mankins-level mean streak. Perpetually surly and ready to take it out on anyone who lines up across from him or ends up in his field of vision. And by everything we've seen of him since this process began, this whole Arm controversy has put a giant hair across his ass. 

Oh right. The arm thing. For years now everyone in New England has been obsessing over the need to do a complete renovation on the offensive line. Rightly so. Last year the Pats were only 24 in pass attempts. But somehow still managed to crack the Top 5 in sacks allowed. With an abysmal 4th worst sack percentage of 9.0%. In Pro Football Focus grades, they were 31st in pass protection and dead last in run blocking. 

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So in response, Mike Vrabel has selected the consensus best left tackle prospect in the Class of 2025. The best player at a critical area of need at a high leverage position. But this is still New England, so people will still bitch that they should've gone for a receiver, tight end, or linebacker. Because Campbell is perceived as having arms like Jim Carrey's Post Nuclear Elvis:

[Tip of the Stool to my comedian pal Graig Murphy for the obscure reference.]

But we can't simultaneously declare that "getting help for" or "building around" Maye is a priority and then bellyache when Vrabel's personnel department treats it like a priority. 

None of which should be taken as suggesting Campbell is a mortal lock. No draft pick ever is. But the bust rate among skill position guys is so incredibly higher than offensive tackles that it's laughable. Or would be, if the Pats didn't have such a humiliating track record on the outside:

As it's been pointed out by others, when you whiff on a wide receiver, you've whiffed. If you whiff on a left tackle because his arms aren't the ideal length, you've drafted yourself an elite guard. You've turned that home run you were hoping for into a gap shot double. But you still win. 

I like Campbell as a tape measure home run. A guy who will protect Drake Maye's all important body for foreseeable future, bring stability to the left edge of the Patriots offensive line and a competitive edge the offensive line room has been lacking for eight years. 

So far, so good to the Mike Vrabel administration. And right again, Old Balls.