FOXBOROUGH – After a whirlwind night on Thursday becoming the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft and a New England Patriot, Will Campbell visited Gillette Stadium for the first time on Friday afternoon.
As is tradition, Robert and Jonathan Kraft presented Campbell with a jersey for a photo opportunity before Drake May’s new blind side protector took questions for a few minutes.
“It’s always special to welcome a new Patriot, and today’s presentation carries a special value to me because 25 years ago, as the stadium was being constructed, we started a tradition that brings pride and promise: bringing the Patriots top pick out here and presenting him with a No. 1 jersey,” said Robert Kraft. “That tradition started exactly 25 years ago when we brought Richard Seymour here and presented him with the No. 1 jersey. Today, we continue that tradition and legacy with another young man that hopefully will bring us into a new era the same way Richard did in his early years.
“So, it’s a great honor for me to introduce our No. 1 draft pick, Will Campbell.”
The best story relating to Campbell that came out of Thursday night was regarding the workout he had with the Patriots staff, one in which he knocked Vrabel on his rear end during a drill after Vrabel had put a blocking pad on. Campbell was asked about the workout and his mindset at the time.
“For me, it was just coming out there and giving them everything that they flew down there to get,” he said. “Showing how intense I was, how coachable I can be and just really having all eyes on what they wanted to see. Whatever they wanted to see, I was willing to do, no matter what it was. That’s something that I just wanted them to know because I’m going to do whatever they ask me to do to help this team win in any way that I can.”
Campbell has passionately spoke about taking the job of protecting his quarterback very seriously. The relationship between him and Maye is already established and the two could be this franchise’s two most important players for the next decade.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s my quarterback. So, I’m just super excited to continue to build the relationship with him, get to know each other as people. It’s something I’m looking forward to. I’m a quarterback guy. I care about him a lot off the field and on the field,” said Campbell. “We were able to talk. He met my family, so that was pretty cool. We just talked for a little bit; he had to do some stuff and things like that, and we had stuff to do. It was short and sweet, but that relationship will continue to grow more as I’m up here.”
Campbell also touched on the family members that joined him in Foxborough and what they’ve meant to him.
“My Mom, Dad, my brother, my girlfriend, my agent, and my co-agent are here,” he explained. “Those are people that have done everything for me, especially my family, my girlfriend. They’ve been with me for a lot longer than my agent has. I’m just super thankful for them. They’re people that I lean on in this process and even outside of the football aspect of things. I’m super lucky to have them. They’re the best circle that I could ask for. I love them all.”
Everything about Campbell already screams ‘perfect Patriot,’ but what exactly does a culture shift mean to the new franchise left tackle?
“Culture is everything,” he added. “Culture wins you games. That goes for any stage of any sport, whether it be high school, college, NFL. That’s what’s going to set you up for success in the long run because whenever you have that bond, the trust in the guy next to you and that relationship, you’re willing to do whatever to make sure that you succeed and not let the guy next to you down. That’s something that I’m all about. I want everybody on the field to know that I’m going to give them everything I have.
“I want them to have full trust in me that I’m going to execute my job, and let’s just go win some games.”