The first time Mike Vrabel met the rookie left tackle who will block for Drake Maye in the Super Bowl, the two broke bread together.
Considering the meal, it was probably cornbread.
Will Campbell’s journey to Vrabel’s Patriots began with an order of takeout barbeque from a spot called Hutchins, well before the 2025 Draft.
“The first time (we) met, me and him ate barbeque for four and a half hours and sat down and talked,” he told reporters, ahead of the Super Bowl.
What did the two talk about, for four and a half hours? The former LSU tiger didn’t want to get into too many of the logistics of how the meeting came together, but he made it clear that it was important for him to get to know Vrabel.
“It was just something I wanted to do. I wasn’t going to the Senior Bowl,” Campbell told WEEI.com. “I just wanted to be able to get in front of him and let him know who I was as a person, and just get to know him. Because I had already met Eliot, Matt Groh, a bunch of the guys. They came to my practices. I knew he would be an important decision-maker throughout my process. I just wanted him to get a feel for me.”
“He’s a very relatable guy,” Campbell said, about their conversation. “You can tell he’s all ball, which is awesome. We hit it off.”
Vrabel recalled the grub fondly.
“The meal was excellent,” he said. “A lot of those local establishments take care of the boys down there in Baton Rouge. It was a big spread, a great meal, and I hope to go back there and hang out. We had a good time."
Campbell made a strong first impression on his future NFL coach.
“I've said this before: Will wanted to make it known that he wanted to be here by that visit. Not when he visited our place, but when we visited there. It was clear that this was the place that he wanted to be,” Vrabel said.
Why was New England such a desirable landing spot for a guy from the bayou? Campbell has spoken before about not minding the cold, and his surprise at the amount of nature outside Boston. In this case, however, it came down to brass tacks. Campbell wanted to play for a program serious about winning, and despite back-to-back four-win seasons from the Patriots, he still believed that place was Foxboro.
“You want to go to an organization that cares about winning and this is one that does. There’s some places that don’t care, and it shows.
This isn’t one of those,” Campbell said.
Vrabel was also a factor:
“I wanted to play for him. What I had seen, growing up as a kid, you see how passionate he was and how he relates to the players. And, I wanted to block for Drake.”
Campbell’s had his share of ups and downs as an NFL rookie – he sprained his meniscus in Week 12 – but his debut season has been a success.
After all, he’s now in Santa Clara, preparing for Super Bowl LX.
I think Will is a great teammate,” Vrabel said of his growth over the year. “I think, again, each and every day he's grown, he's improved as a person, as a player, as a teammate. He's comfortable in his own skin. He's around a lot.”