The New England Patriots have plenty to be excited for coming into 2025. Quarterback Drake Maye showed plenty of signs and flashes of potential greatness, and now the Pats have had a full offseason to start to build around him.
With new head coach Mike Vrabel at the helm, the Patriots added a ton of talent to their offense in the NFL Draft. They selected LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell in the top five before getting their hands on explosive Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round.
Campbell not only brings some skill up front, but he also brings a physicality and an edge that the Patriots did not have in that group last season. That was on full display when the Patriots got into a scuffle during a joint practice with the Washington Commanders that left Mike Vrabel bruised and bloodied.
Unsurprisingly, Campbell was also right in the middle of that scrum. On Sunday, after the Patriots beat the Commanders 48-18 in their preseason opener, the standout rookie kept it brief when talking about why he got involved, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.
“Protect your teammates,” Campbell said. “That’s all I got to say.”
Patriots fans will love to hear that from their new franchise offensive lineman who will be tasked with protecting Maye for the foreseeable future. If that mindset is any indication, New England has a cornerstone of its future offensive line in the building.
Campbell had a quiet preseason debut, which can only be seen as a good thing for an offensive lineman. However, his fellow rookie Henderson was anything but silent in his first impression for Pats fans.
Henderson made a huge splash right out of the gates, taking the opening kickoff on Friday night back 100 yards for a touchdown. His speed and explosiveness is another thing that the New England offense has been dearly missing in recent years, so he should have a big role along with Campbell right away.
