Will Campbell’s been as advertised since joining the New England Patriots.
He’s tough as hell. He has “future captain” written all over him. He’s wildly talented. He looks like someone who’ll play in the NFL for a long time.
However, according to reporters who’ve watched Campbell throughout training camp, the first-round rookie also has been a rollercoaster at left tackle. The No. 3 pick from the 2025 NFL Draft, Campbell has atypically short arms for an NFL left tackle, an issue many experts believe will force him to left guard.
Nevertheless, Campbell impressed in his preseason debut — his 85.4 Pro Football Focus grade ranked highest among all rookies — and the Patriots reportedly are high on the LSU product.
“Patriots rookie OT Will Campbell has taken virtually every rep at LT — and the team loves what they’ve seen,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote in an X post on Tuesday. “Despite some questioning if he’ll be a left tackle in the NFL, he’s delivered exactly as expected.
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“One team source raved his football IQ is ‘through the roof … he processes so fast and already thinks like a veteran. He has the type of football character you wanna build your program around.’ “
Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard sang a similar tune in an X post last week.
“They’re happy with Campbell internally,” Bedard wrote.
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Still, during Tuesday’s episode of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz” show, Bedard doubled down on his long-standing take that Campbell is a future left guard. He also said Campbell likely will give the Patriots “league-average” performance this season, if not slightly worse.
Whether Campbell proves his doubters wrong and stays at left tackle remains to be seen. But he’s off to a solid start, and the Patriots likely will give him every opportunity to prove he was worthy of being drafted third overall.
