On Thursday night, the Patriots did what many around the football world expected them to do, as LSU left tackle Will Campbell was selected No. 4 overall by New England in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Despite all the chatter around Campbell’s historically short arm measurement at the NFL Scouting Combine, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel forged ahead with the player who has been talked about since last summer as the top left tackle candidate in this year’s draft class.
And according to Campbell, 1 Patriot Place is exactly the place he wanted to call his football home for this fall.
“This is where I've wanted to be since the start,” Campbell told the media on a Webex call shortly after being drafted on Thursday. “Eliot Wolf came to my practice probably about Week 5 of the season, and I told him this is where I wanted to be.
“We’ve had great connections throughout this entire process. I told him and our area scout, Alex Brooks, that I wanted to be a Patriot, and that happened in the middle of the season. I've had great interactions with everybody throughout the process. A lot of them, private workouts, 30-visits, just being up there, getting to meet everybody. It’s just where I wanted to be, and I'm just super excited to get there.”
“Getting there” won’t take long, as the Patriots have scheduled an introductory press conference for Campbell at Gillette Stadium for Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Campbell will get the full first rounder treatment, with a stage planned for the field and photo opps to follow, weather permitting.
It’ll be a surreal feeling for the 21-year-old, who grew up during the era of dominance of Patriots football. Campbell was born 26 days before the Patriots won their second Super Bowl - all he’s ever known (until the last five years) is New England as a perennial winner in the NFL.
“It means everything,” said Campbell. “I played for a historic program at LSU, and now to play for one in New England, I guess I'm lucky. But I'm just super excited and thankful to wear that logo on the side of my helmet and across the front of my chest. It's a complete honor, and I'm just excited.”
When asked on Thursday how he’d describe his playing style, the first word Campbell used will warm the heart of Patriots fans of Belichick-past, yearning for a return to the days of smashmouth football in Foxborough.
“Nasty,” Campbell said with a smirk. “I'm going to go out there and give everything I have every single play to protect my teammates, protect my quarterback, and just put the Patriots in the best position possible to help win games on Sundays.”
Speaking of that quarterback, Campbell made a point to talk about how excited he is to play with 22-year-old Drake Maye - who took to social media to show he was equally excited to be receiving the help he desperately needed on his blindside throughout the entirety of his rookie campaign.
“I'm super excited,” said Campbell. “He's a heck of a player, a heck of a leader, and he's the commander of our offense. I'm not only excited to play with him, but the rest of the team. I'm excited for the future that we have in Foxborough, and I think we’ve got a special season coming.”
Campbell got his wish on Thursday, as he was selected to join an organization he has admired from afar armed with a coach and a quarterback he’s ready to go to war with.
“I just think that the culture and the New England Patriot logo speaks for itself,” said Campbell. “I believe in the guys in that locker room. I believe in the quarterback. Coach Vrabel is my kind of guy. He's all ball and no BS, and that's what I want to play for. He's very hands-on. He loves the players that he coaches, and I just want to be a part of that.”
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