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A former NFL scout offered a worrying assessment of Patriots' offensive lineman Will Campbell

The New England Patriots, for all intents and purposes, have put together a strong body of work this offseason. They brought in several new players in free agency, addressed key areas of need in the 2026 NFL Draft, and most recently, acquired a de facto No. 1 wide receiver in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for A.J. Brown.

And yet, there are still areas of concern on this roster heading into the new season. Perhaps the biggest of the bunch involves left tackle Will Campbell, who is looking to bounce back after a disastrous finish to his rookie campaign. While Campbell was admittedly playing at less than 100% late last year, one former NFL scout believes that there are some real concerns surrounding him as he enters his second year in the pros.

Will Campbell Draws Worrying Outlook Ahead of 2026 Campaign

New England selected Campbell with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to come in and protect star quarterback Drake Maye’s blindside. For the most part, Campbell did his job last season, despite concerns that his short arm length would prevent him from holding his own at the tackle position.

Late in the regular season, Campbell suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain, which forced him to miss four games. While he was eventually able to get back on the field, Campbell did not look like the same player he was earlier in the year. New England managed to make a run to the Super Bowl, but Campbell was the team’s worst player throughout its postseason slate.

The internal belief is that Campbell’s injury played a big role in his playoff struggles, but the team clearly isn’t going to leave the left tackle position undermanned, which is why they used their first-round pick this year on another tackle, Caleb Lomu. If you ask former NFL scout John Middlekauff, he believes that the questions surrounding Campbell’s arm length have not been fully answered yet, which could present some problems for the Pats in 2026.

“I would say it is a question mark that has not been answered,” Middlekauff said in an interview with Hard Rock Bet. “I understand he was injured toward the end of the season. I’m not by any means going to write him off. But it’s going to be the No. 1 thing everyone’s going to watch for this year.”

Do the Patriots Have a Will Campbell Problem?

GettyThe New England Patriots received an uncomfortable warning about the ceiling for second-year left tackle Will Campbell.

Before his injury, Campbell had largely held up well for New England at left tackle. Granted, the team played an easier slate of opponents, so it’s fair to wonder if Campbell simply wasn’t challenged until the playoffs. Again, once the competition increased, Campbell wilted against stars like Khalil Mack, Will Anderson Jr., and Nik Bonitto.

Regardless of what the true reason for Campbell’s struggles may be, he’s going to have a spotlight on him entering the new year, especially now that Lomu is lurking behind him on the depth chart. The Patriots are going to give Campbell every chance to figure things out at left tackle, but if he can’t find his footing, that could force head coach Mike Vrabel to make some changes on the fly.