FOXBOROUGH - Through four days of training camp, it's gone about how I expected for rookie left tackle Will Campbell. There have been some good moments - for instance, he did a terrific job on Saturday handling an aggressive spin move from Keion White. There have also been some poor reps. Earlier in the week, K'Lavon Chiasson smoked him coming off the edge, where, yes, Campbell's length appeared to be a problem. But all things considered, the 4th overall pick in the 2025 draft is handling the transition well enough.
"I'm a rookie," said Campbell after practice. "I got a lot of stuff I have to work on. I'm just trying to get better in every aspect of my game, every single day."
Apparently, that has led to moments where the former LSU star beats himself up, either after a play or while watching the film.
“He’s hard on himself," said Morgan Moses. "I tell him sometimes, you’ve got to give him grace. And he’s like, ‘(Expletive) that.’
“And it’s good to see man because, obviously, we come from two different types of football. I’m not saying I’m old or anything, but just to be able to see that attitude and aggression to get better every day, that makes me want to come in every day and be better.
“When you got somebody like that who’s pushing you at the opposite end, that’s when you become bookends.”
Moses is entering his 12th year in the league and is unloading as much knowledge as he can, not just to Campbell but the entire offensive line room. I don't get the sense that the kids are rolling their eyes just yet.
"If you could be over there in our little huddle after practice, Morgan is a man of words and wisdom," smiled Campbell. "He gives so many little points that you know, can take you as far as you want, but like I said, he's been very good to me. On the field and off the field. One day, I hope I can be like that."
Moses isn't the only one who's been willing to share tricks of the trade. Campbell gushed about how helpful the entire defensive line has been, which is no doubt music to Mike Vrabel's ears.
"A lot of those guys have played a lot more football than me," said Campbell, pointing to White, Milton Williams, Harold Landry, and Christian Barmore. "So anything that they can help me with, give me tips and things that they see that I'm doing that can help my game, and, you know, just help me get better in any way - that's what a rookie asks for. I'm super fortunate to have that.
"If I go ask, they're gonna tell me. And, you know, vice versa, if they were to ask me something, I'm gonna tell them. It's just kind of the culture we're trying to create around here, just, you know, guys helping each other out."
That's important because Campbell is trying to cope with an elevated level of competition (the SEC is legit, but it's not this) and a number of other changes, including a dense playbook - "It's definitely a lot more than college, if that's what you're asking" - and a rotating cast of characters next to him at left guard (Strange, Wilson, and Wallace).
"At LSU, I played next to the same dude for three years," he said. "Stuff like that doesn't happen very often. I'm the new guy. Cole and Caedan have been here, so they're developing chemistry with me. I'm the new guy trying to get in and learn what they do."
Campbell, like the rest of that offensive line, is looking forward to full pads and having more of a chance to hit back against a defensive front that has had the advantage in the lead-up to Monday. That will be their—and his—next step in the journey to becoming a cohesive unit, and hopefully one that is significantly more competent than what we've seen over the last couple of years.
APPROACH PAYS DIVIDENDS
As Bedard detailed in the practice report, it was an uneven day for the passing offense. However, there was a play worth highlighting for both its beauty and how it came to be.
During a team period against the top defense, Drake Maye dropped back and initially had nothing open. He worked his way out of the pocket, at first slowly, then with a little more pace, but never stopped scanning for a receiver. When he saw Pop Douglas shake free deep down the field, Maye launched a ball off one foot that nestled into Pop's arms about 50 air yards away. The sparkplug wideout, who's having a nice camp, waltzed into the end zone for a score, drawing roars from a full house.
Obviously, Maye's ability to attack every area of the field helps make this play possible, but so does an evolving mindset and a focus on plays like these.
"Yeah, I think just kind of remaining a passer longer when I scramble, I think that's big," said Maye when we spoke with him on Wednesday. "I'm kind of getting outside the pocket, remaining a passer longer, hoping for some big plays, scramble plays, and just making the defense - I feel like I had good times last year, where I had some guys deep that I may have missed them or took off running instead. So, I'm trying to remain a passer and keep trying to work on footwork. I think that's the big thing."
The big thing, but not the only thing, for Maye, who is making strides and feels good with the 100 level stuff in this McDaniels' offense, but also knows he has a long way to go before he's enrolling in the graduate program.
"Yeah, I mean, it takes a while, I think, to master something at the level that some of the guys played at," he said, with a clear nod to Tom Brady. "So, I think I’ve got a long way to go, but I think I like where I'm at. I’ve got some more stuff to improve on. I think it all comes down (to) facing defenses. I think you can master it. 'Hey, what are these guys going to do on the route?' I think there's a different kind of level when you're facing different, hey, versus this coverage, what are you going to do? And I think there's a different level to it that I think that we’re kind of going to need to tap into."