The New England Patriots invested valuable draft capital in Will Campbell. His college tape was first-round worthy, even justifying a top-five selection, though the 'short arms' narrative was almost impossible to overlook.
Fast forward to today, and the LSU product would certainly want some plays back from his rookie season. He held his own for the most part, but once he hit a wall and got a bit banged up, it was an ugly watch.
That's why he made the most of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles, not only to measure himself against their strong pass rush, but also to reach out to the legendary Lane Johnson for some pointers.
Will Campbell has to take a leap in Year 2 after a brutal ending to his rookie season
"Lane told me, 'You have to be very honest with yourself about the season,'" Campbell told ESPN. "Will kind of reminds me of myself in a way -- country kid, drafted first round, so I know the kind of pressures that are on guys like that. I thought he had a really good rookie season," Johnson said .
"You can see him getting better. I was watching him [Wednesday]; he looks thicker and bigger. He's healed up from his knee injury."
Campbell was one of the Patriots' weakest links in the Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Of course, putting it all on him would be inaccurate and unfair, but he didn't do a good job of keeping Drake Maye out of trouble against one of the league's sturdiest defensive fronts.
Johnson has established himself as one of the strongest, most immovable forces in the game. Iron sharpens iron, and watching Will Campbell work out with him to figure out the holes in his game is a much-welcome development.
According to ESPN, he also worked out with Tristan Wirfs, Creed Humphrey, and Dion Dawkins. He took part in Johnson's "OL Masterminds Summit" earlier in the offseason, and it'll be interesting to see how much of that work translates to the field in his second campaign.
Blindside protectors can make or break an offense. With all the chatter surrounding Campbell's rookie struggles and whether Drake Maye's MVP-caliber season was a fluke, the Patriots might not be able to afford being as patient as they would've wanted with their former first-round pick.
Now, with Caleb Lomu making his way to Foxborough and drawing positive reviews, one can only wonder how long a leash the Patriots will give Campbell at left tackle in 2026. He might be better suited to play in the interior, though that's not an easy adjustment to make.
That said, it's not like Campbell is the first rookie tackle to struggle. And now that he's gotten healthier and bulked up from his first year out of LSU, plus Johnson's tutoring and mentorship, he should be much better equipped to deal with the pressure that comes with playing the position.
Add us as a preferred source on Google