With the 2025 NFL Draft set to begin next week, the Patriots have recently received some clarity regarding who might be available when they're on the clock with the No. 4 pick. While it's always helpful to be seemingly made aware of the players who will be off the board by the time it's your turn, it's not great for New England knowing they are bound to miss out on two of their favorite prospects at the top of the class.
That means they are expected not to have the chance to pick pass rusher Abdul Carter or CB/WR Travis Hunter. The current projections have them going in the top-3 picks, despite all three teams needing a quarterback.
The Week 18 win over the Bills has come back to haunt the Patriots over the past month, so their new first-round pick has quickly switched to LSU left tackle Will Campbell. It's a position of need and would give Drake Maye stability on the offensive line, but it's far from an exciting selection with a lot of debate if No. 4 is the right place to take him.
They could try to trade down if a team is desperate enough for a quarterback, but those odds aren't working in their favor either. To make matters worse, the latest assessment of Campbell doesn't ease any concern over the Patriots drafting him, as it adds even more worries beyond the arm length debate that began from the Combine.
Todd McShay's assessment of Will Campbell is a concerning development for the Patriots
During a recent episode of his podcast "The McShay Show," NFL draft analyst Todd McShay discussed his latest mock draft where he has the Patriots making the "safe pick" of Campbell at No. 4.
His show co-host, Steve Muench, argued against that notion, stating that Campbell was not outstanding against tough SEC competition, to which McShay then walked back his statement on the tackle being a safe pick.
“We got a guy that we believe that’s going to come in right away and become the alpha dog in that O-line room and keep people accountable, I think that could be part of the decision there. So when I say ‘safe,’ I’m leaning towards that stuff.”
The idea that Campbell is only a safe pick because he will come in and be ready to compete and lead is not a great reason for the Patriots to be invested in using their prime first-round pick on him. That is a more concerning assessment than his potentially short arms creating issues with his production, as leaning into his attitude as the strongest reason to draft him would suggest his talent isn't great, either.
It's just the latest intel that seems to knock down Campbell in the eyes of the fans, who are already not thrilled with the idea of drafting a left tackle in the top-5 regardless of how big of a need it is for the roster.
This means Mike Vrabel and Co. have even more to consider when planning to navigate this year's draft, adding even more pressure to the already high expectations of the new regime to make the right picks after a lousy 2024 season. It wouldn't be a great look to make a mistake with their first-round pick, especially if they have to stay at No. 4.
Let's hope that won't be the case.