The New England Patriots are sporting a handsome 7-2 record after nine games, making even the rosiest predictions look tepid. One reason is that Mike Vrabel's first overall Patriots' draft pick, left tackle Will Campbell, is crushing Pro Football Focus's (PFF's) rookie ratings weekly.
For some, it was a risky pick who'd project only to an NFL guard position. The reason was his shorter arms, which measured a whopping 3/8" shorter than the supposed requisite minimum. Additionally, his narrow shoulders would seemingly rule him out of playing tackle, never mind left tackle —the second-most important position on any NFL field.
Thankfully, Patriots' owner Robert Kraft had hired a top NFL professional to both coach his team and run personnel. Vrabel brushed aside that stat-geek-related silliness and took little time putting his fourth-overall pick right on the nose of the big LSU left tackle. He's never looked back.
Will Campbell is as good as suspected and better
PFF had a wishy-washy evaluation of Campbell in their pre-draft analysis. While they tabbed him as the draft's best tackle, they still equivocated by indicating that his future might be at NFL guard. OOPS! Now, after nine games, the worm has turned, so to speak, and Campbell is soaring in their post-Week 9 rookie ratings.
6. T Will Campbell, New England Patriots (76.6)
Campbell recorded a 72.1 PFF overall grade against the Falcons, leading the Patriots' offensive line in pass blocking (75.0) and run blocking (66.2). He was the only New England lineman to record 65.0-plus PFF grades in both facets. The LSU product conceded three pressures ... One was a sack for Walker in the third quarter, resulting in a nine-yard loss inside the red zone. However, Campbell still recorded a 95.0 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating across 40 pass-blocking snaps."
Not only was he the best lineman for the Patriots last Sunday, but he has also been among the top graded tackles in the league for the first half of the season, a feat many doubters didn't think would happen during his rookie season.
"The fourth overall pick is the Patriots' highest-graded offensive lineman through the first half of the season. He has allowed seven pressures — including four sacks — in his past three games but is the team's only offensive lineman with a PFF pass-blocking grade above 70.0 in that span (73.0). As a run blocker, Campbell has performed equally well in zone (63.8) and gap schemes (63.6), earning a 70.5 PFF run-blocking grade overall."
Campbell's presence on the Patriots' offensive line can be overestimated as a factor in the team's early success. He's been solid from the outset. Since the best days of Trent Brown a half dozen or so years ago, the team has lacked a true top left tackle. Now they have one, and it's made a world of difference.
Will Campbell's pass blocking has well exceeded expectations
While Will Campbell is a devastating run blocker, and it was expected he'd excel there initially, it's been the polar opposite. It's his pass blocking that's been questioned by numerous pundits; that's been his strongest asset. As PFF noted, he's the Patriots' top-rated pass-blocker this season.
The big left tackle is only going to get better as he becomes more NFL-experienced. While he's allowed four sacks thus far, the team has allowed a whopping 34 in nine games. Campbell is one of the Patriots' best pass-blockers, and playing on an island is as tough as it gets.
Being rated the sixth-best rookie overall by PFF thus far, the sky is the limit for the only 21-year-old rookie who won't turn 22 until January. His pass blocking will get even better, and if the Patriots ever realize his run-blocking ability, he'll dominate there as well. It's all good thus far for Campbell and for Drake Maye, with Campbell protecting his back. And there's a lot more good stuff to come for certain.