No one was surprised when the New England Patriots selected offensive tackle Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick of the NFL Draft, but the Patriots actually did make some pretty unique history in the process.
By taking Campbell, it actually represented the first time New England had nabbed an LSU player in the first round of the draft, which is definitely strange considering how strong of an NFL pedigree LSU has had over the years.
"Campbell is the first LSU player selected by the Patriots in the first round in the common draft era," wrote ESPN's Mike Reiss. "In total, the Patriots have drafted 15 players from LSU. The previous highest-drafted LSU alums by the team were RB Kevin Faulk (1999, No. 46), QB Tommy Hodson (1990, No. 59), DL Marquise Hill (2004, No. 63) and RB Stevan Ridley (2011, No. 73)."
Campbell spent three seasons with the Tigers, establishing himself as one of the top offensive linemen in the country throughout his collegiate tenure.
The 21-year-old was then widely viewed as the No. 1 tackle in the 2025 draft class, even though some were advocating for Missouri's Armand Membou, who ultimately went seventh overall to the New York Jets.
The Pats were in dire need of help in the trenches, as they had what was probably the worst offensive line in football last season. While the Patriots did make some additions in free agency, most notably signing right tackle Morgan Moses, they needed to find a blind-side protector for Drake Maye.
They have done just that in landing Campbell, who did face some questions heading into the draft as a result of his arm length. We'll see if Campbell fits in and helps take New England to the next level in 2025 and beyond.
