It's probably still way too early to tell whether anyone from this year's draft class is going to actually be good, but that's boring. Like, half the fun of training camp is getting a peak at how the first rounders are doing, and what's the point in investing in that if we "stay realistic" or "use common sense"? I want to rush to judgement, and I want it NOW.
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Bleacher Report gets it. They know that because I live on the internet, I want to make assumptions immediately and not face any substantial backlash for it down the road. I just want to hear, for example, that Patriots' lineman and first round pick Will Campbell is already a star and on his way to 11 straight First Team All-Pro nominations. I don't want to hear about his practice reps – I just want to know how he'll start his Hall of Fame speech. Fortunately, in their latest pre-season piece, they do exactly that: stoke the flames of Campbell optimism to all-time highs. I can't thank them enough.
Bleacher Report is already extremely sold on Will Campbell's fit in New England
Buy: Will Campbell Entering Camp as Patriots' Starting Left Tackle
"Unsurprisingly, Ward, Hunter and Carter were the first three players off the board in April. The New England Patriots then used the fourth overall pick on offensive lineman Will Campbell. The early reports suggest the Patriots have viewed the LSU product as their starting left tackle ever since they held a pre-draft workout with him in Louisiana. "Ever since, Campbell has been penciled in as the team's starting left tackle, a rare job for a rookie but one that spotlights how highly the Pats think of the player they drafted at No. 4," The Athletic's Chad Graff wrote ... This doesn't feel like a case of Campbell being handed the job or simply having no real competition in New England—Vederian Lowe started 13 games for the Patriots last season. He's simply that talented of a prospect and would likely be entering camp as a starter regardless of where he was drafted. Campbell was the top-ranked lineman on the final B/R board and has the upside of a perennial Pro Bowler."
On one hand, this is a huge relief: it's not like the Patriots have a ton of options at left tackle, and I think you kinda expect the 4th overall pick – and one of the better linemen prospects in the past half decade – to waltz to the starting job pretty quickly. On the other hand, none of that is important. What's important is that Will Campbell is already That Dude, and it sounds like the Patriots are basically already the reincarnation of the 2001 St. Louis Rams. At least, that's how I read it.