The New England Patriots got Drake Maye some offensive line help with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell. Their quarterback approved of the selection, too.
Shortly after the interview of Campbell speaking passionately of protecting Maye went viral, the Patriots quarterback shared his appreciation for his new teammate on social media.
“Love this guy already,” Maye wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a fire emoji. “LFG.”
Campbell held back tears as he was being interviewed by NFL Network's Jamie Erdhal, who asked him what kind of tone he would set for the Patriots' offensive line to help protect Drake Maye.
“I’m gonna fight and die to protect them with everything I’ve got,” Campbell replied.
Earlier in the interview, Campbell shared why he was feeling so emotional after getting drafted by the Patriots.
“Just all the hard work,” Campbell said. “I worked my entire life to be up here. To be able to get my name called by a franchise like New England, it means everything to me.”
Drake Maye was one of the reasons why Will Campbell wanted to be drafted by Patriots
Later Thursday night, Campbell expressed that New England was where he wanted to end up. He cited Maye and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as part of the reasons why.
” I just think that the culture and the New England Patriot logo speaks for itself,” Campbell told reporters on Thursday. “I believe in the guys in that locker room. I believe in the quarterback. Coach Vrabel is my kind of guy. He's all ball and no BS, and that's what I want to play for. He's very hands-on. He loves the players that he coaches, and I just want to be a part of that.”
Campbell, who many viewed as the top offensive tackle prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, will, ideally, be Maye's blindside protector for years to come. He was a consensus All-American this past season, which was his third straight year as LSU's starting left tackle. He was named first-team All-SEC the year prior and only gave up four sacks over the course of his college career.
There have been some questions over Campbell's arm length, though, and whether he has the requisite frame to play left tackle. Campbell has expressed on numerous occasions that he isn't concerned about that. The Patriots selecting Campbell with the fourth overall pick would seem to suggest that they aren't concerned with that either as their newest first-round pick is excited to get to work with last year's first-round pick.
“He's a heck of a player, a heck of a leader, and he's the commander of our offense,” Campbell said of Maye. “I'm not only excited to play with him, but the rest of the team. I'm excited for the future that we have in Foxborough, and I think we’ve got a special season coming.”
Now, it's on Campbell and Maye to turn that excitement into wins as the Patriots look to improve from their 4-13 record from last season in 2025.
