While Will Campbell will remain in the same spot (for now, at least), he won't have the same familiar face lining up next to him this season. With Jared Wilson officially moving to a new (but familiar) position, the New England Patriots are putting a ton of faith in two of their top picks from the 2025 draft.
But after anchoring the left side of the line together for most of their rookie year, the pair of former SEC standouts will have veteran Alijah Vera-Tucker between them at left guard. Campbell faces legitimate questions about his long-term future as Drake Maye's blindside protector given his struggles down the stretch.
However, there's little doubt he's the team's best option for the 2026 season—especially with rookie first-round pick Caleb Lomu showing some concerning struggles.
On the other hand, Wilson presents both short- and long-term questions about one of the most pivotal positions on the field.
Position switch should benefit all parties—including Drake Maye
Can a guy go from starting his entire rookie season at one position to playing another one entirely in year two?
That's the question surrounding Jared Wilson.
Luckily, moving from guard to center won't be entirely foreign to the former Georgia Bulldog. After all, Wilson won second-team All-SEC honors as a senior and was widely viewed as one of the top center prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Even though the Patriots made him their starting left guard in 2025, most would argue that that was more out of necessity.
More of a quick-twitch, on-the-move blocker than a hulking road-grader like right guard Michael Onwenu, Wilson's athleticism and intelligence always seemed ideally suited for center. Ironically, he's quite similar to another undersized Georgia Bulldogs center who became a fixture in Foxboro for many years: David Andrews.
Wilson's physical profile should make him a much better fit at the pivot position. More importantly, though, it puts him in a position to form a long-term tandem with the team's most important player.
After all, Wilson is now responsible for much more than executing his blocks. As the team's new starting center, he must execute clean snaps, identify oncoming blitzers, make protection calls, and always be on the same page as Drake Maye.
That last part is especially critical, as you can't afford any communication breakdowns between the center and quarterback. Plus, the nature of the center position dictates that Wilson will have to be much more vocal overall.
That's a lot to put on a second-year player, but let's not forget that Wilson has three elder statesmen up front in Morgan Moses, Vera-Tucker, and Onwenu. He has Josh McDaniels, who coached similarly undersized, high-IQ centers like Dan Koppen, Ryan Wendell, and David Andrews.
On top of that, he has well-respected offensive line coach Doug Marrone, who certainly did a solid job preparing Campbell and Wilson to start as rookies.
Do the Patriots have all the right pieces up front?
As the Patriots prepare for their season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, there are some pretty important questions remaining about Maye's protection squad.
Can Will Campbell build off a hot start and carry that momentum into a rematch against a team that made his life a nightmare back in February? He certainly has the mental makeup and physicality you need to succeed, but if he can't consistently keep his quarterback out of harm's way, the talk of moving Campbell to guard will only increase.
Can Alijah Vera-Tucker shake off the durability curse that stalled his career with the New York Jets? When healthy, he's an All-Pro guard. But betting on the former first-round pick to remain on the field is risky given his lengthy injury history.
Can Michael Onwenu still give the Patriots Pro Bowl-caliber production in his seventh season? More importantly, can he do that from start to finish?
Can Morgan Moses keep staving off Father Time and remain a rock-solid starting right tackle? The Patriots have an insurance policy of sorts in Caleb Lomu, but in an ideal world, the rookie won't have to play a significant role in 2026.
Ultimately, the question of whether Jared Wilson can develop into a quality starting center for 2026 and beyond is just the tip of the iceberg.
Because even though the unit looks good on paper, the Patriots are betting on a lot of pieces falling together up front.
Perhaps everything will work out—Campbell will silence his critics, Vera-Tucker will stay healthy, Wilson will anchor the unit, Onwenu will play like a Pro Bowler in the final year of his contract, and Moses will give it one last go at winning a Super Bowl ring.
Or, things could go very differently if any of those bets don't work out.
For Maye's sake, let's hope this group performs better in Seattle than the one that took the field in Super Bowl LX.
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