With the 2025 NFL Draft just 48 hours away, the conversation around who the Patriots should select at No. 4 overall is at an all-time high.
With each passing day, it feels more and more likely that New England will be drafting left tackle Will Campbell with their first round pick, with NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah telling the media on Friday that he has “repeatedly heard” that the LSU-product will be handed a Patriots cap while walking on the stage in Green Bay, WI on Thursday.
Despite Campbell having been the consensus best left tackle in this draft class as far back as last summer, the tenor around his NFL ceiling has changed since measuring in with a historically short wingspan at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Short arms or not, sportsbooks across the board have Campbell as the odds-on favorite to be selected by New England. And with the gambling odds matching the reporting, it would be a shock to see any other player selected in that No. 4 slot by the Patriots (barring any surprises in the top three, of course).
On Tuesday’s edition of The Greg Hill Show, WEEI’s Jermaine Wiggins explained why he feels the team would be doing 22-year-old quarterback Drake Maye a disservice if they do, indeed, select Campbell.
“I don’t think drafting a tackle is going to help Drake Maye,” said Wiggy. “It’s more valuable to draft a positional player, especially with the fourth overall pick or if you trade down to the seventh overall pick, or whatever it is. If you’re picking in the top 10, I think it’s more valuable to draft a positional player that a rookie quarterback will get more help from than an offensive lineman.
“You look at last year, for example. Offensive lineman Joe Alt went to the Chargers. One of the biggest issues that the Chargers had [in 2024], they had an issue with their passing game. Couple years ago, the Arizona Cardinals took an offensive lineman in the top 10. What did they do last year? They went on and got Marvin Harrison [Jr.].”
As it stands right now, the conventional wisdom - based on reporting across the board and gambling odds - has quarterback Cam Ward, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and edge rusher Abdul Carter being selected in the top three of this year’s draft. Carter and Hunter have been considered the best players in this draft class by prognosticators throughout the spring, and Ward is seen as the top QB prospect in the class.
This means real high-end skill-position talent will be available for the Patriots to choose from if they pivot down that road on Thursday.
And Wiggy’s got a guy.
“So if you’re the New England Patriots and you’re sitting there at No. 4, whether you wanna go Ashton Jeanty - I want to go, because I think he’s the best player available, I wanna go Tyler Warren. You look at what the Raiders were last year - nothing until they got Brock Bowers, tight end from the University of Georgia and what he was ultimately able to do.
“Here are just some names from the 2024 draft. So when you think about Malik Nabers, wide receiver, New York Giants, and what he was able to do for that type of team. I just feel like if you’re the New England Patriots, your biggest need right now is offensive skill position. An offensive lineman does not help Drake Maye when you waste a top 10 pick on him.
“If you have the fourth overall pick - Will Campbell might be good, and I’m not saying he won’t be good. But if you hit on Tyler Warren, Ashton Jeanty, I know Scheim has Tetairoa McMillan - if you hit on one of those guys at No. 4, Drake Maye will get a lot more from them than he would from hitting on Will Campbell.”
Warren was the consensus best tight end in the country in 2024, helping Penn State advance to the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff - one game away from playing for a national championship. In the quarterfinals and semifinals combined, Warren led all Nittany Lion pass catchers in receptions (12), receiving yards (138) and receiving touchdowns (2), truly working as the engine for that offense in the same way he had all season.
And at 6-foot-5-and-a-half and 256 pounds, the Virginia native has a trophy case to show for it:
- 2024 John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end
- 2024 First-team All-American
- 2024 Big Ten Tight End of the Year
- 2024 First-team All-Big Ten
Warren is a stud, there’s no doubt about it. But the Patriots still have a glaring need on Maye’s blindside.
Wiggy believes that need at left tackle can be addressed later on in the weekend.
“When you’re in a position right now where you have the fourth overall pick, you can get an offensive lineman in the second round,” said Wiggy. “Even if you move down, you could get two offensive linemen in the second round. If you hit on your top 10 pick who’s a skill-player, that player is gonna help out a lot more than you wasting - because let’s say you do draft Will Campbell and he’s really good. Who’s Drake Maye throwing to?”
“Normally I would be totally against Wiggy here because I do believe that the trenches matter, but this draft class is different,” said WEEI’s Chris Scheim. “Like if Joe Alt was on the board, I would say, ‘Take Joe Alt No. 4 and don’t even hesitate.’ But because it’s Will Campbell, I just don’t feel that way about Campbell. I don’t think Campbell’s worth a top five pick. I just don’t, and I don’t think there’s any offensive lineman in this draft that’s worth a top five pick.
“So in this draft in particular, I think Wiggy’s right. I think getting a skill-player, whether it’s Ashton Jeanty, Tet McMillan, Tyler Warren -”
“OK, if you take Jeanty, who’s blocking for him?” WEEI’s Greg Hill chimed in.
“Well then you take Ozzy Traplio in the second round out of BC,” said Scheim. “You take Aireontae Ersery out of Minnesota in the second round. Like, there’s other guys that I think will be as good as Will Campbell that you can get late-first round early-second round.”
While Wiggy made it clear that drafting Campbell does help Maye to a degree, he believes adding a potential generational tight end would elevate both Maye’s game and the offense to another level.
“Don’t get it twisted, like you’re helping Drake Maye [if you draft Campbell],” said Wiggy. “But you could be helping him so much more if you go, ‘Alright, we’ll take Jeanty, we’ll take Tyler Warren, because we can always pick up some lineman in the second round.’”
“I would take Tyler Warren, because look what he was able to do - and granted, it’s college and I understand that. But offensive coordinators in the NFL are calling him an absolute matchup nightmare. And they can’t wait to sink their teeth into him. So if you could get that type of player at No. 4. Or if you say, ‘Hey we’re gonna just drop a few spots to get him.’ I’m in on it all day long.”
For what it’s worth, Wiggy did play seven years in the NFL at tight end, memorably helping the Patriots win their first Super Bowl in franchise history during the 2001 season. So while a subconscious bias for tight ends might exist, it also means the man’s evaluation of that position should be taken seriously.
And for Wiggy, Warren is can’t-miss.
…we’re almost there, people. Thursday is shouting distance.
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