New England Patriots rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell went viral after they took him with pick No. 4 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Campbell didn’t hide his emotions after the Patriots chose him, telling NFL Network’s Jaime Erdahl, he’s “gonna fight and die to protect [quarterback] Drake Maye” (h/t NFL.com’s Michael Baca).
Maye, the No. 3 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, loved hearing that.
“I listened to it live,” Maye told the media Thursday. “It gets you going. Gets your juices going. I think it makes you want to go out there and play football now. Pumped that we picked Will. We got a chance to meet him when he flew in on Friday. Pumped to get things going. Obviously, he seems like a football player. That’s what you want around here.”
Maye is likely thrilled that Campbell seems serious about giving him better pass protection, especially after he received little last season. In 13 games, the North Carolina product was sacked 34 times. Per Pro Football Reference, New England allowed a 23.7% pressure rate in 2024, the league’s eighth-highest mark.
Questions about Campbell’s arm length remain. At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, his arms were measured at 32 5/8 inches. The average arm length of NFL edge-rushers is approximately 34 inches.
Still, it didn’t seem to be a problem when he was at LSU. In three seasons with the Tigers, he was named first-team All-SEC twice and earned a 2024 first-team All-American nod.
“Look, [Campbell] has already gone against guys that are NFL-caliber players,” former Patriots O-line coach Dante Scarnecchia, a five-time Super Bowl champion, told Karen Guregian of MassLive.com in a story published Wednesday. “I think that’s a huge advantage to him. And to me, that lessens the risk factor.”
Despite a weak supporting cast, Maye produced decent numbers in his rookie season. He threw for 2,276 passing yards and tossed 15 touchdown passes.
If Campbell gives Maye more time to throw next season, perhaps he’ll take off in 2025.
