Patriots' Eliot Wolf Reveals Plans for Young OL Starters

While New England Patriots’ left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson continue to be placed under a media-fueled critical microscope, Pats’ executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf believes that the pair of second-year offensive linemen are integral parts of the team’s future.

“I think you have to do what’s best for the football team,” Wolf told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “And with our best five out there, we won a lot of games. Obviously, the last game was not very productive in a lot of areas on offense. And we’re just excited that Will and Jared are made of the right stuff, and we’re excited about what they’re going to do moving forward.”

Perhaps no one has recently taken a greater hit to his professional reputation than Campbell. Given his subpar performance in the Pats’ 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, pigskin pundits throughout the NFL universe continue to predict that the former LSU Tiger may be best-served by moving inside New England’s offensive line to left guard.

While New England collectively played its worst game of the season on the game’s grandest stage, Campbell particularly drew the ire of Pats Nation. He allowed the most pressures (14) in a playoff game since 2018. In fact, his 29 pressures allowed this postseason were the most ever recorded in a single postseason by Next Gen Stats.

As for Campbell, Wolf’s vote of confidence helps to clarify the questions surrounding his future position. Prior to suffering an MCL injury in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the fourth overall selection in last April’s draft began to demonstrate solid fundamentals, ranking among the league’s top rookie linemen in protective stats — a point which the Patriots’ executive was sure to make to his audience of media pundits in Indianapolis earlier this week.

“Specifically, when he came back from that injury, I personally didn’t see the same level of lower body strength that you saw before the injury,” Wolf said. “I think the film (showed) that, like he probably had three of his four worst games in the playoffs.

“But before that, I thought Will played really well out here,” he continued. ”I know everyone talks about the arm length, but he has a set of skills that enable him to play with that arm length. He’s really quick out of his stance. He’s technically sound. He’s adding more and more different pass sets to his tool bag that he can use to combat different rushes. And again, he’s 22 years old, and we expect some improvement out of him as well.”

To echo Wolf’s insight, Campbell did exhibit less mobility since his return, often leading to lost battles against longer and quicker defenders. As such, his shortcomings are likely to be eliminated through recuperation and intense training. If the Patriots believed that the 22-year-old rookie had already given the team his best effort as a left tackle, then they would have seriously considered moving the LSU product inside to guard. Instead, line coach Doug Marrone, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and the Pats coaches must provide Campbell with an extensive offseason tutorial designed to enhance his fundamentals.

The same, however, may not necessarily be said for Wilson.

Jared Wilson Remains a Possibility at Center

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots guard Jared Wilson (58) before Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

New England’s third-round selection (No. 95 overall) in last April’s draft has also experienced his share of struggles in maintaining the strength and positioning as the line’s interior left. As a result, he has long been expected to make a move inside, where he is expected to be a more comfortable fit for his skill set — as well as the position he exemplarily played during his college career as a Georgia Bulldog.

The Pats' need for an upgrade at guard may be accelerated if New England chooses to part ways with eternal Garrett Bradbury — recouping $5.7 million in salary cap space in the process. If Wilson kicks inside to center, the Pats might keep a sharp eye on some guard prospects during this week’s Combine.

Ultimately, the Patriots will now need to decide whether to keep Wilson at left guard or move him inside to center. Though Wolf was a bit more committed when it came to speaking on Campbell’s fate, Wolf made it clear that a decision on Wilson’s future has yet to be made.

“I think there’s openness to everything with him,” Wolf said. “You know, he had never played guard before. He had good moments and bad moments, but he certainly has the physical ability to play there, and he also has the intelligence and the vocal ability to play center, so I think those are conversations we’re still having.”

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