New England Patriots

"I think he’s got a little bit of extra motivation for himself to prove to us and prove to himself he can be one of the best players in this league at his position.”

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FOXBOROUGH — Will Campbell had a playoff run to forget earlier this year.

The rookie left tackle showcased his potential early on in 2025 after New England drafted him fourth overall out of LSU, protecting Drake Maye’s blind side as the Patriots started to find their collective stride out on the field.

​But, the 22-year-old offensive lineman also went through his expected share of growing pains against some elite pass-rushers — with those struggles becoming more and more prominent after Campbell returned from a torn MCL.

​Campbell was cleared to play in the postseason, but was regularly put under duress in matchups against the Chargers, Texans, Broncos, and Seahawks. Unfortunately for New England, Campbell’s worst performance came on the highest stage in Super Bowl LX against Seattle.

According to Next Gen Stats, Campbell was knocked a whopping 14 pressures against the Seahawks — an unsightly statline that stood as the most pressures allowed by any player in a game this season, including the playoffs.

In total, Maye was sacked six times and hit on 11 other occasions during New England’s eventual 29-13 loss at Levi’s Stadium.

That sour end to a promising season for Campbell has raised plenty of questions this offseason over Campbell’s long-term outlook as New England’s franchise left tackle — and whether or not he might be better served shifting to guard if his struggles continue.​

But, on Wednesday, Maye offered up a strong endorsement of his offensive lineman — noting that he himself went through his fair share of ups and downs during his first year in the NFL in 2024.

“Will has got a great mindset. I think he kind of understands the business and what this league is about,” Maye said. “He kind of [had] a similar experience to me. Obviously, the seasons that we had were different between mine and his first year, but he got the full length of the season, you know, the ups and downs of it. I think he’s got a great attitude.”

Speaking to reporters at the Patriots’ locker-room clean-out day after the Super Bowl, Campbell didn’t mince words when asked to assess his own play against Seattle.

“It comes with the job. When you don’t perform — obviously I was picked high, paid a lot. So people expect a certain thing, and I expect more of myself,” Campbell said. “So whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ I mean, obviously it sucks. But it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.”

Campbell also stressed that there were still plenty of positives to draw from his first year in Foxborough ,with New England banking on his continued development at such a critical segment on the team’s O-line.

The free-agent addition of left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker could also be a stabilizing presence next to Campbell in 2026 — so long as the 26-year-old guard can remain healthy.

“I don’t think one performance defines a season. I think I did some good things this year,” Campbell said in February. “Obviously, there’s room for growth in every aspect of my game. I’m 22 years old. I have a lot of room for growth in every aspect as a player, as a leader; whether that’s strength and conditioning, pass protection, run-blocking, whatever it might be. I have growth everywhere. I’m young. I’m learning.”

New England has a few contingency plans in place if Campbell’s struggles persist, with the Patriots selecting tackle Caleb Lomu out of Utah with the 28th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While Lomu figures to be an eventual long-term replacement for 35-year-old right tackle Morgan Moses, he played a majority of snaps at left tackle with the Utes over the last few years.

Still, Maye stressed that Campbell will be looking forward to putting the end of last season in the rearview mirror once training camp begins in earnest in July.

​“He’s working his butt off,” Maye said of Campbell. “I think he’s got a little bit of extra motivation for himself to prove to us and prove to himself he can be one of the best players in this league at his position.”