NFL Draft expert has ‘continually heard’ that Patriots will take Will Campbell at No. 4
"The feeling in talking to folks is that Will Campbell is really well-liked inside that building in New England."
With many mock drafts having Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter being selected with the first three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, there has been some perceived uncertainty on what the Patriots will do at No. 4. However, one draft expert doesn’t believe that’s the case.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah believes that LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell will be the Patriots’ pick at No. 4 based on conversations he’s had with people around the league.
“It feels like Hunter [at No.] 2 and then Abdul Carter [at No. 3]. And then with the Patriots, I just have continually heard that offensive tackle was going to be addressed, and I have continually heard that that’s Will Campbell’s spot,” Jeremiah told reporters on a conference call on Friday.
Campbell has been listed as the top offensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft by many draft analysts. However, there’s been one big concern with him that’s prevented Campbell from being viewed as a slam-dunk selection for the Patriots at No. 4 despite their need for a left tackle: his arm length. His arms were measured at 32 5/8 inches at the combine, which would make him a statistical outlier if he were to have success playing offensive tackle in the NFL.
There’s no denying how good Campbell was at LSU, though. The three-year starter was one of the best offensive tackles in the nation over the last couple of seasons, allowing just four sacks in his college career, per Pro Football Focus. He gave up two sacks this past season, becoming a consensus All-American and winning the Jones Blocking Trophy.
It seems that the Patriots believe his production at LSU will outweigh any concerns about his arm length. Mike Vrabel told reporters at the league meetings in March that the team views Campbell as an offensive tackle as some have wondered if he should move to guard.
Other teams around the league aren’t as bullish on Campbell as the Patriots are, according to Jeremiah. But he iterated that he’s heard New England is a pretty big fan of the LSU product.
“Teams are not universal in the slotting of these tackles,” Jeremiah said. “In fact, in the last 24 hours, I’ve talked to three teams who aren’t in the range to take tackles so they can give me an honest answer of how they stack these guys. And I had one team that was a Will Campbell at the top, I had one team that was Armand Membou at the top, and I had one team that was Kelvin Banks at the top.
“So it’s not universal around the league, but the feeling in talking to folks is that Will Campbell is really well-liked inside that building in New England.”
Banks, who played left tackle at Texas, has some similar concerns as Campbell about his viability as an offensive tackle. Scouts also pointed to the projected first-round pick’s struggles in Texas’ two losses to Georgia this past season as a reason for concern.
As for Membou, he’s seemed to gain steam as a potential pick for the Patriots at No. 4 during the draft process. He didn’t allow a sack at Missouri this past season, but he exclusively played right tackle in college.
Of course, there’s a scenario in which one of Hunter or Carter is available for the Patriots when they’re on the clock at No. 4. Most mock drafts have Hunter being selected by the Browns at No. 2, but there has been some smoke recently that the Giants could take Shedeur Sanders at No. 3 because of their need for a quarterback.
In that scenario, Jeremiah doesn’t expect the Patriots to get too cute and select the best player available.
“I feel pretty confident that they would take Abdul Carter,” Jeremiah said. “I’ve heard nothing that would sway me away from that.”
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