Patriots Country

WATCH: Patriots NFL Draft Target Will Campbell Dominates

Take a look at quality footage of the New England Patriots potential first-round NFL Draft pick, Will Campbell.

Kevin Sinclair

Sep 30, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers offensive linemen Will Campbell (66) lines up before the snap during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Sep 30, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers offensive linemen Will Campbell (66) lines up before the snap during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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Without question, the New England Patriots need a starter-capable left tackle and a difference-maker at receiver. 

It’s why LSU Tigers captain and star bookend Will Campbell is routinely projected to protect Drake Maye’s blind side this fall. 

Campbell was on the cusp of five–star/high-four-star status coming out of high school in Monroe, Louisiana. It’s safe to say he lived up to the hype. He’s a dominant left tackle prospect with big-time size at 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds, impressive athleticism, and outstanding technical skills. 

With a prototypical NFL tackle frame, Campbell can absorb power rushes while possessing the nimble feet, balance, and body control to handle speed and finesse off the edge. He’s battle-tested versus the best of the best at the SEC level. 

Campbell shows consistently excellent leverage, a quality bender who is unusually coordinated for such a massive athlete. In tandem with that coordination and athleticism, Campbell proved to have powerful hands as he strikes, clubs, and swats pass rushers with great force and precision. 

As shown in the footage above, Campbell is clearly advanced as an SEC-built bookend.  However, he can show inconsistency at times, and this leads to missed blocks in the ground game but less often in pass protection.

Altogether, it feels very likely that Campbell’s pro career will begin at the left tackle position. However, he has experience at right tackle and there is little reason to believe he would have issues transitioning to guard if called upon. 

It would be very surprising to see an offensive lineman selected before Campbell. Missouri’s Armand Membou put together freaky numbers at the NFL Combine, but he isn’t where Campbell is in terms of development and starter capability at this time. 

All in all, the LSU Tiger will be very difficult to pass up for the Patriots at No. 4. It’s also possible New England were to trade down a small number of slots in the first round where the Patriots could still select Campbell. 

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Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

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