Football
The New England Patriots took a big risk when they took Will Campbell with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
While he had dominated at LSU and shown strong promise, his shorter arms raised questions about his ability to withstand the physicality of professional football.
His rookie season was a mixed bag, but he struggled mightily in the playoffs, and especially in the Super Bowl. That only prompted more doubts about his future as a franchise left tackle.
That’s why the recently signed Dre’Mont Jones, who only knows Campbell from this training camp, wanted to set the record straight and let everyone know how much he’s improved between seasons.
Football Dre’Mont Jones tips his hat to Will Campbell
“Will is a heck of a player. He’s making me better and I hope I’m making him better,” Jones said (h/t Evan Lazar). “Will has definitely gotten better from the last time I played him last year…He’s definitely watched a lot of film and honed in his technique even more. It’s fun to watch and it’s fun to compete against him every day.”
The former Baltimore Ravens pass rusher believes Campbell is putting way too much weight on his shoulders right now.
He believes he has the potential to be one of the best ever to do it, but that kind of pressure won’t do him any favors. If anything, people have to be patient with such a young player.
“He’s definitely a lot more stout. He’s not as easy to push back I guess. I mean, not to say like he was easy before, I still had to put in a lot of effort. But, he’s definitely become smarter, more patient with his hands, he stays square a lot better in his sets. I mean, Will’s so young and I feel like he has a lot of pressure to be the greatest tackle of all time, right now. I mean, I think he’s a really good tackle going into year two. He’s not even into year two yet.” Jones added.
Campbell’s work ethic was never a concern, but his physical limitations remain a question mark. It’s not his fault, but it’s not like his arms will grow between seasons.
That said, counting him out after just one season isn’t fair, especially given that he was hurt to close out the year.
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