“I don’t know what made me say it in the moment,” Campbell said, “but it came out great.”
Even though Campbell and Maye hadn’t met prior to the draft, the two have since formed an incredibly close bond. They’ve sat courtside at a Celtics game. They dined out at Capri, a new Italian hot spot in the South End, to celebrate the Patriots’ AFC East title. Maye hosted Campbell, or as he likes to call him, “Big Country,” at his home for Christmas — and Campbell even made an appearance in Ann Michael Maye’s final “Bakemas” video.
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“He’s become one of my best friends,” Maye said. “He’s been awesome to play with. I think it’s cool when you can get close with a guy at such a young age.”
Quarterback Drake Maye (left) and left tackle Will Campbell recently dined out at Capri, a new Italian hot spot in the South End, to celebrate the Patriots’ AFC East title.Courtesy Capri
As the Patriots move forward under coach Mike Vrabel in search of foundational building blocks for the program’s long-term future, Campbell has emerged as another face of the franchise alongside Maye. His Southern drawl, team-first attitude, and dry sense of humor almost instantly won over the locker room and the coaching staff.
Campbell played in 13 games during the regular season, missing four with a knee sprain. Despite struggling in the wild-card round against the Chargers (allowing five pressures and a sack), he’s held his ground at one of the most important roles on the team.
“When you’re a young player, thrown in there to play as many snaps as he had, that’s a tough position,” Vrabel said. “I think he just continues to learn, learning tricks of the trade and maybe some things that he was able to get by with in college that he had to learn — and I think he does learn. He just continues to become more comfortable in his play and how he carries himself.”
Before the Patriots took him with the fourth overall pick, Campbell already had a feeling he would like playing for Vrabel. About a week before the draft, Vrabel traveled to LSU for a private workout with Campbell and his teammate Miles Frazier.
Even though LSU set up pads for the coaches to use, Vrabel had brought his own — and proceeded to take every rep during the workout. There’s no question who “won” the battle, as Campbell rocked Vrabel to the ground on at least a few reps, and also ripped his shirt at one point, prompting a change of clothes.
That matchup was Campbell’s introduction to Vrabel’s commitment to his players and his willingness to jump into the mix hands-on.
“The first time I met him, we definitely hit it off,” Campbell said. “We’re very similar.”
Their connection has only grown since. The two often go back and forth like “Step Brothers,” according to several linemen. The position group likes to poke fun at their relationship — “Will is Coach Vrabe’s son,” says right tackle Morgan Moses — and even printed a custom shirt with Vrabel holding Campbell in a BabyBjörn.
To kick off the team’s weekly squad meeting on Fridays, as part of his effort to add, in his words, “a little spice of life,” Vrabel asked Campbell to deliver a “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update-esque routine in which he cracks jokes and recaps the week. Campbell, who said he works on it for an hour or so each Friday, has embraced the role, even if his monologue doesn’t always elicit a proper reception.
“I got volunteered by the head coach, so I didn’t really have a choice,” Campbell said. “I’ve done a decent job the whole time. It’s fun and entertaining, kind of lightens up the meetings a little bit. If it’s funny, I’ll be more comfortable with it. You know when people laugh and when they don’t, because it’s loud.”
Will Campbell (left) celebrates Rhamondre Stevenson after a touchdown against the Dolphins in the regular-season finale.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
It sounds as though Campbell has done a good enough job to get renewed for next season.
“He’s gotten a lot better,” Vrabel said. “I told him today, he’s gonna be really good next year.”
All kidding aside, the Patriots seem to have found a player who is beloved by his teammates and the community.
When the offensive line went to the Celtics-Heat game in December, and TD Garden’s center-court video board panned to the suite, Campbell immediately stood up, ripped his shirt off, and chugged a beer. His antics obviously fired up the home crowd.
“Everyone said I looked like a proud father back there,” center Garrett Bradbury said. “He did a good job. I don’t want to give him too many flowers, because I think there’s enough videos and it went viral enough for him. We’ve got to keep him a little level-headed, but he did a good job. The moment was his — and he took advantage of it.”
Come Sunday, Campbell will have one of his toughest tests to date. The Texans’ defense boasts two incredibly talented pass rushers in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, who combined for 27 sacks during the regular season. The offensive line will be center stage.
Campbell acknowledged last Sunday wasn’t his best performance, admitting there were two or three plays he wishes he could have back, but he’s already focused on the divisional round.
“I can look at it and be like, ‘Yeah, I wish I had two plays back last week,’ but that’s wasting energy toward this week,” Campbell said. “I can’t be worrying about last week, because quite frankly, the second after it happened, it doesn’t mean [expletive] anymore. There’s not anything I can do about it, the people in the stands can do about it. You just have to move on and keep playing. You can’t let one play turn into 10.”
Campbell isn’t concerned one bit about the conversation surrounding his play. He wasn’t concerned when his arm length and wingspan were a hot topic pre-draft, either.
“I hold myself to the highest expectation of anybody,” Campbell said. ”I want to be perfect. It’s hard for me to get told that it’s going to be hard to be perfect.”
No matter what happens Sunday, the Patriots should feel hopeful about what they have in the 22-year-old Campbell. He says all the right things, approaches the game how Vrabel wants, and doesn’t shy away from the spotlight.
“Will is an amazing football player,” Moses said. “What he’s done, don’t look past it. As a rookie, to come in and man the left side, to play left tackle in this league, it’s hard playing any position in this league. When you have him in this environment, that brotherhood that we’ve built in this locker room and the camaraderie, and then you have your coach sprinkle into it as well, it’s a recipe for something great.”
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Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.
