Patriots' Top Pick Earns Massive Pro Bowl Comparison

The New England Patriots played it safe and selected LSU Tigers tackle Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, which is great news for quarterback Drake Maye.

After all, the Patriots laid claim to what was probably the worst offensive line in football this past year, and while they did make some signings in free agency — including right tackle Morgan Moses — they needed someone to protect Maye's blind side. Well, now, they have it.

Campbell was the consensus best offensive lineman in this year's draft class, and he has already landed a Pro Bowl comparison, with Cameron Ellis of Musket Fire likening him to Los Angeles Chargers star Rashawn Slater.

"And as far as NFL comps go, it's hard not to see the Rashawn Slater comparison," Ellis wrote. "The big knock on Campbell, of course, is that his arms are short. That's kinda it. But apparently that's a big deal in the NFL, and it was the single reason that people thought there was a chance he could fall towards the bottom of the top 10. Slater was also a tackle with small arms, and draft people mentioned the same thing – that he was probably better off as an NFL guard – that they brought up with Campbell all offseason."

Slater has certainly had no problem playing left tackle on the NFL level, as the former first-round pick has already made a couple of Pro Bowl appearances while also earning a Second-Team All-Pro selection since entering the league in 2021.

Obviously, New England would be beyond thrilled if Campbell turns into Slater, and it should also be noted that Campbell's draft positioning was considerably higher than Slater's, who was selected with the 19th overall pick.

We'll see if Campbell can instantly improve the Pats' offensive line next season.