New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is the player being criticized more than any other after the Seattle Seahawks beat this team to a pulp in Super Bowl 60, but firmly in secomd place in this dubious rundown is left tackle Will Campbell. This was without question the worst game of Campbell's professional or collegiate career.
Campbell, who was picked No. 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft to serve as Maye's blindside protector for the next decade, was recorded to have given up 14 pressures, per Next Gen Stats. His 29 pressures allowed in the playoffs represent the most that any one player has given up in the NGS era.
Between Campbell's poor play and his decision not to take questions after the game, the former top pick had about as bad a 24-hour period as a left tackle can have in football. While his stock is low, some of the best offensive tackles in the league are still believing in him.
Former New Orleans Saints All-Pro Terron Armstead believes that Campbell's issues are "fixiable" despite his struggles, namely his propensity to still be backpedaling when the rush is coming. This makes it hard for him to anchor down in pass protection. Armstead said that fixing this alone would "cut his issues in half" before proclaiming he will be much better next season.
Terron Armstead says Patriots LT Will Campbell's struggles are "fixable"
Armstead co-signed an opinion from former Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Mitchell Schwartz, who said that Campbell was often late getting back into his sets and using his hands to attach to rushers.
Campbell has extremely short arms for a tackle, which led many to believe that he would be better off kicking inside to guard at the NFL level. Despite one solid rookie season, that movement is popping up once again after his continued struggles against some of the best defenses in the league.
These two greats seem to think Campbell's problems are more related to technique than talent, which is an encouraging sign. With Campbell having suffered a serious injury late in the regular season, there may be a correlation between his dip in production and his not being fully recovered yet.
The Patriots may need to move Campbell to guard if he continues to perform like this, but they have to try anything and everything to make him work at left tackle. Luckily for them, it seems like both Armstead and Schwartz think that he isn't that far away from getting back on track.