Will Campbell spent his rookie year learning the hard way what the NFL can do to a young left tackle, and now he’s getting some high-end help trying to clean it up.
The Patriots invested major draft capital in the LSU lineman, betting on a college résumé that looked worthy of the first round and maybe even the top five. The “short arms” talk followed him everywhere, and by the end of his first season, there was plenty for Campbell to replay in his head. He held up for stretches, but once the season wore on and the bumps and bruises piled up, the finish got rough.
That made his work during joint practices with the Eagles especially useful. Campbell wasn’t just there to see how he stacked up against a serious pass rush. He also sought out Lane Johnson, one of the most respected tackles in the game, for advice.
“Lane told me, 'You have to be very honest with yourself about the season,'” Campbell told ESPN.
Johnson came away impressed with what he saw from the young Patriot.
“Will kind of reminds me of myself in a way -- country kid, drafted first round, so I know the kind of pressures that are on guys like that. I thought he had a really good rookie season,” Johnson said .
“You can see him getting better. I was watching him [Wednesday]; he looks thicker and bigger. He's healed up from his knee injury.”
That matters for New England because Campbell wasn’t at his best when it counted most. He was one of the Patriots’ weak spots in the Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and while the blame doesn’t belong on him alone, he did not do enough to keep Drake Maye clean against a tough defensive front.
Johnson’s value here goes beyond reputation. He’s one of the game’s most sturdy, unmovable pass protectors, and Campbell working alongside him gives the Patriots a real chance to see progress if the lessons stick.
ESPN reported that Campbell also trained with Tristan Wirfs, Creed Humphrey, and Dion Dawkins. He took part in Johnson’s “OL Masterminds Summit” earlier this offseason, another sign that he’s attacking the problem from every angle.
The next step is the one that matters. Blindside protection can shape everything around an offense, and with the noise around Campbell’s rookie year and whether Drake Maye’s MVP-caliber season was real, New England may not have the luxury of waiting forever. Caleb Lomu is now in Foxborough and drawing positive reviews, which raises the obvious question of how long the Patriots will keep Campbell at left tackle in 2026.
An interior move could be on the table, though that kind of shift is no easy fix. Still, Campbell is hardly the first rookie tackle to get knocked around.
He’s healthier now, bigger now, and armed with guidance from one of the best to ever do it. That’s a better place to start for Year 2 than the one he left behind.
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