At this point, it seems pretty likely that the Patriots are going to draft Will Campbell. Outside of some crazy trades throwing everyone's night into chaos, the first three picks of this weekend's NFL Draft seem all-but-settled – in some order or another, Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter are going to be the first three off the board.
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It's what makes the Patriots' spot in the first round so interesting: they've operated with more mystery than the teams above them, and it feels like there's a wider world of realistic possibilites for New England than Tennessee/Cleveland/New York. Or, at least, there used to be. With Campbell now being the proverbial leader in the clubhouse, the conversation's starting to shift towards how he'll slot into the Patriots' roster. It's not the most exciting pick that'll happen on Thursday night, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. And it gets better: according to Albert Breer, at least one NFL GM sees a lot of similarities between Campbell and an eventual first ballot Hall of Famer.
At least one NFL GM thinks that Will Campbell could end up having a Hall of Fame career
"If they get stuck at No. 4, in that circumstance, my sense is they’ll invest in protecting their young quarterback and LSU’s Will Campbell will be the pick. There are questions on his long-term viability at tackle, but he’s the most pro-ready of the offensive linemen, and has a high floor, in that most believe he could be an All-Pro guard. One GM told me he thinks there are similarities in Campbell to Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater, who was projected by many to be a guard, but proved athletic and technically sound enough to stay at his college position. Another comped his college tape to Zack Martin’s—Martin played left tackle at Notre Dame and may be a Hall of Famer as an NFL guard."
Admittedly, if there's one thing that can successfully combat the 'he has short arms' point, it's 'he sure looks like a future Hall of Famer.' Touché, anonymous NFL GM that definitely is not Eliot Wolf. If the Patriots end up with an all-time great left guard as opposed to a kinda-good, four-year left tackle, I'm not sure anyone's going to remember that they could've had EDGE2 if they simply traded down.
Will Campbell: once a Patriots' consolation prize, now a potential Hall of Famer. Draft week hyperbole remains undefeated.