Draft experts address Patriots' Will Campbell, Armand Membou decision

Barring a surprising development, it seems likely that the New England Patriots will make either LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell or Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou the fourth overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

During the latest episode of "The Ryen Russillo Podcast," draft experts Todd McShay of The Ringer and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network addressed the Patriots' Campbell-versus-Membou decision. 

"The cleanest of the guys, I would say, absolutely is Campbell. Campbell is one of the cleanest prospects in the entire draft," McShay said, as shared by Chris Mason of MassLive. 

Karen Guregian of MassLive previously mentioned that "Campbell has all of the traits the Patriots are looking for in a starting-caliber tackle," regardless of his questionable arm length. McShay expanded on that take and touched upon why first-year head coach Mike Vrabel may want to add Campbell to a locker room that features second-year quarterback Drake Maye. 

"I think teams are looking at it — the Patriots specifically — trying to get some leadership in that offensive line room, with their star quarterback, trying to develop him, in Drake Maye," McShay added. "That like, 'All right, maybe we don’t get a superstar here, but we’re going to sleep really well Thursday night going into Friday of the draft knowing that we got a guy that’s going to be ready to play and is going to bring a lot of leadership to this organization.'"

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Campbell as the betting favorite at -225 odds to be the draft's fourth choice. Such information indicates noteworthy individuals believe there's not much of a chance that either Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter will be available for New England at pick No. 4. 

"I think he’s going to be at worst — at worst! — he’s going to be an 8-10 year starter somewhere along your offensive line," Jeremiah said about Campbell, per Mason. "If he has to kick in (to guard), he has to kick in. But on that one, I think the work ethic, intangibles, everything you hear out of LSU is worthy of that pick."

The Patriots head toward April 24 needing to bolster their offensive line so they can keep Maye upright and healthy for years to come. For what it's worth, The Athletic's Dane Brugler predicted in his latest mock draft posted on Wednesday that New England will take Campbell at pick No. 4.