I owe Will Campbell an apology.

Milloymam said:

If this true, why was he playing? That is on the coaching staff. Vrabel should have sat him. He was pretty bad throughout the playoffs not just the SB !!

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VJCPatriot said:

We don't need a generational left tackle. We need somebody who can keep Maye upright.

Matt Light was never considered anything above average physically but he was good enough at protecting Brady's blindside. Nate Solder had superior physical attributes to Light but was never a 'franchise' tackle either. He was more than good enough.

Let's look at the top 10 ranked tackles in the NFL as ranked by PFF.

#1 Malaita. Eagles. 7th round 2018 NFL draft. Clearly a homerun pick when you consider draft capital cost. Eagles lucked out here.
#2 Tristan Wirfs. Tampa Bay. #13 1st round 2020 draft. Tampa used a premium pick to obtain one of the best left tackles in the NFL today.
#3 Slater. Chargers. #13 1st round 2021 draft. Another premium pick but he was worth it.
#4 Trent Williams. 49ers. #4 1st round 2010 draft. Very early pick for a top player. 49ers only paid a 3rd and a 5th to get him. What a steal in hindsight.
#5 Lane Johnson (RT). Eagles. #4 1st round 2013 draft. Again taken very early but he has been a cornerstone of that OL for a while now.
#6 Penei Sewell. Lions. #7 1st round 2021 draft. He was a top 10 pick but has proven worth the price.
#7 Darrisaw. Vikings. #23 1st round 2021 draft. Solid player. Taken as a late 1st rounder.
#8 Tunsill. Packers. #13 1st round 2016 draft. Only cost Washington a 3rd and 7th pick for a solid LT.
#9 Zach Tom (RT). Packers. 4th round 2022 draft. Nice find in the mid rounds.
#10 Raimann. Colts. 3rd round 2022 draft. A great find for a starting left tackle and a big reason why the Colts had a strong regular season before falling off.

As we can notice most of the top left tackle prospects were found in the 1st round. Yes a couple of teams got lucky outside the 1st but it's hard to find a Raimanna or Malaita gem in the rough.

Based on historical data It is reasonable to move up into the middle of the 1st round to go after that franchise left tackle. The Patriots are picking 31st, 63rd, and 95th overall with their first 3 picks. And they have two 4th rounders as well.

Moving up from #31 to #13 just as one example would likely cost us the 2nd round pick plus the 3rd round pick. Or perhaps the 2nd round pick plus a future 2nd rounder.

For left tackle prospects the Patriots would probably be considering from a pool of tackle prospects such as Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano, Caleb Lomu, Kayden Proctor, and Monroe Freeling. Of course these are way early days, so guys could easily move up and down the rankings before the actual draft day.

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PATSNUTme said:

Vrabel had more confidence in a less than 100% healthy Campbell than he had in a healthy Lowe.

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VJCPatriot said:

We don't need a generational left tackle. We need somebody who can keep Maye upright.

Matt Light was never considered anything above average physically but he was good enough at protecting Brady's blindside. Nate Solder had superior physical attributes to Light but was never a 'franchise' tackle either. He was more than good enough.

Let's look at the top 10 ranked tackles in the NFL as ranked by PFF.

#1 Malaita. Eagles. 7th round 2018 NFL draft. Clearly a homerun pick when you consider draft capital cost. Eagles lucked out here.
#2 Tristan Wirfs. Tampa Bay. #13 1st round 2020 draft. Tampa used a premium pick to obtain one of the best left tackles in the NFL today.
#3 Slater. Chargers. #13 1st round 2021 draft. Another premium pick but he was worth it.
#4 Trent Williams. 49ers. #4 1st round 2010 draft. Very early pick for a top player. 49ers only paid a 3rd and a 5th to get him. What a steal in hindsight.
#5 Lane Johnson (RT). Eagles. #4 1st round 2013 draft. Again taken very early but he has been a cornerstone of that OL for a while now.
#6 Penei Sewell. Lions. #7 1st round 2021 draft. He was a top 10 pick but has proven worth the price.
#7 Darrisaw. Vikings. #23 1st round 2021 draft. Solid player. Taken as a late 1st rounder.
#8 Tunsill. Packers. #13 1st round 2016 draft. Only cost Washington a 3rd and 7th pick for a solid LT.
#9 Zach Tom (RT). Packers. 4th round 2022 draft. Nice find in the mid rounds.
#10 Raimann. Colts. 3rd round 2022 draft. A great find for a starting left tackle and a big reason why the Colts had a strong regular season before falling off.

As we can notice most of the top left tackle prospects were found in the 1st round. Yes a couple of teams got lucky outside the 1st but it's hard to find a Raimanna or Malaita gem in the rough.

Based on historical data It is reasonable to move up into the middle of the 1st round to go after that franchise left tackle. The Patriots are picking 31st, 63rd, and 95th overall with their first 3 picks. And they have two 4th rounders as well.

Moving up from #31 to #13 just as one example would likely cost us the 2nd round pick plus the 3rd round pick. Or perhaps the 2nd round pick plus a future 2nd rounder.

For left tackle prospects the Patriots would probably be considering from a pool of tackle prospects such as Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano, Caleb Lomu, Kayden Proctor, and Monroe Freeling. Of course these are way early days, so guys could easily move up and down the rankings before the actual draft day.

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UGAPatsfan said:

Sneaky good point about his body still developing. Remember the viral beer chug video of him shirtless at the Bruins game? I actually remember thinking…”kid needs work on that physique”.

But…compared to Onwenu , Campbell is Adonis.

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PATSNUTme said:

Vrabel had more confidence in a less than 100% healthy Campbell than he had in a healthy Lowe.

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cmasspatsfan said:

Athletes hit their prime at 27, he's got a ways to go to get a lot better. Don't forget the Pats tried to sign a FA LT, forget his name and he didn't want to come here.

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The Brandon Five said:

Most linemen look like that. The kid benched 225 lbs for 35 at the combine. He squatted over 600 in college.

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Hugepatsfan said:

I think it's important to be accountable and visible to your teammates when you mess up. I don't think the players in the locker room actually give a crap about if you talk to the media or not. I think the whole stand up there and answer questions to prove you're accountable is fan/media driven. What's really accomplished by talking to the media and saying you played bad? So internet trolls can turn soundbites or your crying face into memes? So the Felgers of the world can take on sentence out of context and spin it like you don't actually care or are making excuses/blaming someone else?

I don't see it actually being important to guys in the locker room that someone who had a bad game partake in a public humiliation ritual that fans/media like to put athletes through. Accountability to the guys in the locker room is what I would think really matters.

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FreeTedWilliams said:

So, if all this injury stuff is true, why didn't Lowe and Dobbs play instead? Lowe was arguable better than Campbell when he played (this year) and Dobbs has proven himself time and time again in the NFL. I would rather have had a healthy Dobbs than a Drake who couldn't hit the side of a barn. Lowe would surely have been better than Turnstyle T-Rex

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The Brandon Five said:

Most linemen look like that. The kid benched 225 lbs for 35 at the combine. He squatted over 600 in college.

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UGAPatsfan said:

Yeah I fully admit that Vrabel’s confidence in Campbell’s future today swayed me. I trust Vrabes. If he sees a good LT in future Will who the heck am I to disagree? Now go get us a nasty LG and we’ll see.

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jan08 said:

I couldn't care less if any player wants to speak to the media after a game. Was amazed the "story" became a thing. Has anyones enjoyment of a game been amplified or nullified because of a post game interview?

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