Patriots' Will Campbell breaks down on NFL Draft stage, promises to 'fight and die to protect' Drake Maye

Will Campbell didn't waste much time endearing himself to the New England Patriots. After the franchise selected the LSU offensive tackle with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a teary-eyed Campbell gave an emotional and motivated interview to NFL Network where he expressed his happiness to head to Foxborough, while also promising to "fight and die" protecting quarterback Drake Maye. 

"I've worked my entire life to be up here," said Campbell. "To be able to get my name called by a franchise like New England, it means everything to me." 

When asked about the tone he's going to help set along the offensive line, Campbell emphatically stated, "I'm going to fight and die to protect them with everything I got." That warranted a response from his new quarterback with Maye posting on X, "Love this guy already."

Campbell, who became just the second LSU offensive lineman drafted in the first round of the common draft era (Alan Faneca, 1998), is now earmarked to serve as New England's left tackle. This comes after he was a consensus All-American in 2024 and after a collegiate career where he was a back-to-back first-team All-SEC player for the Tigers. In 1,508 career pass-blocking snaps (38 starts), Campbell surrendered just five sacks, which is a welcoming sign for his new quarterback.

This is the final major piece of what has been an overhaul along the offensive line for New England. Before the selection of Campbell, the Patriots added right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury in free agency.