THIS OL has the talent to be a fair big improvement over last year's version. I will state my case in the next paragraph, but it will be 2027's OL which has the chance to be a top 5 OL than year and for a LONG-time beyond.
1. Let start with this seasons' potential group.
LT- Will Campbell - It is easy for the slow witted to take easy hot take from the shaky last image of Campbell in the Superbowl and try and engrave it as the ONLY image for the entire season and dub him a failure as a LT. The Pats may have played against some pretty bad offenses, but they DID play against some of the better defenses. Teams like Cleveland and Atlanta may have had QB issues, but their D's were rated among the best when the Pats played them. I think I read somewhere that while the offenses the Pats had to contend with rated in the bottom 3 of the league, the defense rated in the middle of the pack, like 12-15 IIRC, I can't remember exactly. So will Campbell (along with Wilson) must have played some pretty good OL to help create a top 5 passing offense for those first 13 games.
Players DO get better, especially motivated 21-year-olds who are now 22. When the OTA's start, I'm hoping to hear that Cambell's looks to be a bit bigger and plays a bit stronger when pads get put on. He will absolutely look better simply because AVT will be playing next to him as Willson's own issues only magnified Campbell's
LT is Cambell's job to LOSE. It's his job, and having Lomu taking snaps at LT shouldn't even be a talking point since HIS job will be as the swing tackle this year, so it only makes sense for him to work at both positions.
AVT LG- We are going from a young rookie playing out of position to a PROVEN all pro talent who has yet to prove he can stay on the field. But lets assume that the 3rd time is the charm and he manages to play 14+ games and is available for the playoffs. Not only will we see an obvious impact, but we will also see how HIS good play will benefit Campbell's
C- Wilson. Wilson is an uber OL athlete and is perfectly built to be a plus C. He is more athletic than Bradberry and stronger run blocker. Bradberry was a sold pass protecter but a average to subpar run blocker. Wilson has the physical ability to be better a both. It might take a half the season before he starts to reach his potential, but he won't be worse and could actually be better.
RG- Owenu had a VERY good season last year and probably was the most UNappreciated on last season's team. He is going to be on this years' team, and I hope we hear how much slimmer he looks when TC starts, but either way he will give us solid to good RG play on a very consistent basis.
RT- Morgan Moses - One of those FA surprises that made last season possible. OLmen who make it to Morgan's stage of his career do NOT "fall off cliffs". So I fully expect Moses to give us again, a solid if unspectacular effort at the RT and compete what I suspect will be a better OL than last season's which was good enough to put up some top 5 stats AND is going to be improved at their skill positions as well.
But what REALLY gets me excited about this next season is who they will have for depth for this season and what it will mean for the future.
Lomu - Will immediately improve the swing tackle position. This is another 21-year-old who will have the luxury of NOT having to be thrown immediately into the mix like Cambell and Wilson did last season. I have no doubt that his is going to get snaps every game and probably start 5 or 6 because of injuries. He was rated by several scouts as the best pass blocker in the OT class, but probably not as ready as he can be for the grind of the run game. He needs to add strength and bulk, and he likely will as he is still a boy among men currently. For him, coming to the Pats and their OL situation couldn't have been more perfect for his long-term career.
Crownover- He was the only 3rd day pick that I really liked and thought he was a steal in the 6th round. Now I look at his immediate future as a backup to Owenu this season. I know he doesn't exactly fit into the old profile of interior OLmen, but I see that profile as shifting a bit as we are seeing a lot more OT's being used as OG's recently. Or maybe I'm looking for a role for him and would like to think that what we saw from Bryant last season won't be wasted and it will be BRYANT who will be Mose's back up if both Moses and Campbell get injured.
Brown - A solid professional who has proven he can back up at both LG and C and not be a liability at either position. Another very underrated asset.
Wallace - I'm thinking the Pats will keep 10 OLmen this season. The 5 starters plus Brown, Lomu, Bryant, Crownover, and Wallace Maybe it will only be 9 and Wallace will have to beat out Bryant for a roster spot, I don't know]
The bottom line, it has been a LONG time since we have had this much talent along the OL, and all of it is YOUNG talent that should really start to peak in '27. VERY exciting stuff if you ask me.
