From the moment the New England Patriots drafted left tackle Will Campbell with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, there were some major concerns. That included that, due to his body type, he may have to be moved off tackle and inside to guard.
Then, during his rookie season, Campbell suffered a knee injury and struggled in his return. That included a playoff run where, despite going to the Super Bowl, he seemed overwhelmed.
Now, concerns are popping up once again around where the Patriots selected Campbell. Mike Renner of CBS Sports recently put out a ranking of the 191 first-round NFL Draft picks since 2020. Campbell came in ranked 142nd on that list.
Only one Patriots pick came in behind Campbell on the list. That was Cole Strange, who was 174th. Meanwhile, Drake Maye came in No. 2 overall, so there is a positive flipside for New England.
“I’ll address what I assume will be the Patriots’ most controversial ranking, with Will Campbell already falling into the bottom third,” Renner wrote. “For a team that desperately wanted a left tackle, the most generous reading of his rookie season puts him as the third-best tackle in the 2025 draft class despite being the first one taken. If you factor in projectable traits, he could realistically be the last of the five first-round offensive tackles taken in a redraft. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter much because Drake Maye comes in at No. 2 on this list with a real argument to eventually be No. 1.”
New England Patriots LT Will Campbell Focused on Offseason Training
GettyNew England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell
This offseason, New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell made headlines not just for his training but for who he was training with. That included veteran offensive linemen and All-Pros. Now, with Training Camp underway, he shared why that was important to him.
“I think it’d be kind of dumb not to when you’re around Lane Johnson and Tristan Wirfs and Dion Dawkins, if they say something,” Campbell said on Sunday. “They’ve all played almost 10 years plus, and all of them are All-Pro at some point. So yeah, I mean, they know what they’re talking about.”
In particular, Campbell would take the time to praise Dawkins. The two hadn’t previously met, but this gave him an opportunity to do so and learn from him.
“A guy that I didn’t really know before I got out there, but I definitely feel like I can reach out to him if I needed to is Dion Dawkins,” Campbell said. “I had never met him before. I had met with Wirfs and I’d known Lane a little bit, but Dion was probably a guy I didn’t know, and we got to know each other a little bit… He’s done it at a high level for a long time in this league and plays for a good team, and just whatever he can teach me that might translate to my game from his, I’ll take it.”
Obviously, this offseason training is not a predictive measure of success. However, getting that opportunity also won’t hurt Campbell in the long run.
Patriots Facing Will Campbell Rebound Questions
GettyNew England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell
Going into Training Camp this year, the major concern for the New England Patriots is that they’re still facing questions about Will Campbell. Sports Illustrated even recently included this in a list of “burning questions” from around the NFL.
In particular, the question was asked by Eva Geitheim about how they’ll bounce back from the poor playoff performance.
“The Patriots’ Cinderella season was dwindled by poor postseason performances from two key young players, Will Campbell and Drake Maye,” Geitheim wrote. “Campbell, who the team is keeping at tackle over moving to guard, struggled to hold up while returning from injury and facing some of the league’s best pass rushers, giving up 14 pressures in the Super Bowl. Maye, meanwhile, was under duress throughout much of the postseason and took 21 sacks while fumbling multiple times. The MVP runner-up will look to return his 2025 regular-season form in 2026, and with better protection in front of him.”
Of course, the Patriots also drafted a left tackle, Caleb Lomu, in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. So, if Campbell doesn’t perform, the team does have options.
Patriots Receive Major Warning About Will Campbell Going into 2026 Season