One of the best outcomes for a team that uses the No. 4 pick in the NFL draft on a left tackle–as the Patriots did in April with the selection of Will Campbell out of LSU–is for as much time as possible to pass without many people talking about him. Offensive linemen, like baseball umpires, are only truly doing a good job when they’re not the topic of discussion.
Until Sunday’s game against the Falcons, in which he chased down fellow rookie James Pearce for a tackle after a strip-sack of Drake Maye, Campbell had not gotten a whole lot of notice around New England. And that’s not a bad thing, at all.
At Pro Football Focus, Campbell is rated the No. 27 offensive tackle in the NFL, out of 75. That is exactly where the Patriots had hoped Campbell would be nine games into his NFL career, already above-average at his position and with plenty of improvement in front of him.
Patriots Offensive Line Was Brutal in 2024
Truly, the Patriots were in a position in which signing a telephone pole to play left tackle might have been an improvement over 2024, when the franchise made the curious decision to draft Maye with the No. 3 overall pick and follow that up by employing an offensive line in which exactly no one had played left tackle, in the NFL or for significant time in college.
The Patriots opened 2024 as No. 32 out of 32 offensive lines in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ weekly rankings, and held that position every week last year. It’s much different here in 2025, with only Mike Onwenu returning.
PFF has the Patriots ranked No. 11 on the offensive line, and that’s down from No. 6 after a rough showing against the Falcons.
Patriots Will Campbell Was Best vs. Falcons
But Week 9’s struggles did not fall on Campbell, the site pointed out. Most of the pressure came from the interior.
Writes PFF: “New England’s offensive line took a step back and struggled in Week 9, albeit in a win over the Falcons. Across 40 pass plays, the group gave up 15 pressures, three of which were sacks. That resulted in a 77.5 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, which ranked third to last in the NFL.”
As for Campbell: “Campbell was the one bright spot on New England’s offensive line in Week 9. The rookie’s 72.1 PFF overall grade paced the unit.” It was, in fact, Campbell’s second-highest grade of the season, going back to when he rated a 72.9 vs. Carolina.
Will Campbell Impressed With Tackle
Again, the fact that Campbell–or his age or arm length–has not been an issue for the Patriots this year is a huge win. If he was a weekly topic of discussion, it would be bad news in New England.
But the play on Pearce did draw some attention, from coach Mike Vrabel and teammates, too.
Said center Garrett Bradbury: “I was giving him his props. We were just watching the film. I was, ‘Hey, is that your first tackle.’ He said, ‘No, it’s my second.’
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