Well, the New England Patriots have officially made what will go down as the most "boring" pick in the top five overall picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. They've taken LSU left tackle Will Campbell off the board in a selection that has now been anticipated for months.
The Patriots' offensive line was a sieve last year and they added Morgan Moses to come in and start at the right tackle position this offseason, but still desperately needed help on Drake Maye's blind side. Although there was a lot of talk about Campbell's arm length and whether he would be able to hold up at the left tackle position in the NFL, it's clear that New England as a vision for him and they view him as a critical piece of their rebuild under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
And this is a pick that, while boring on paper, could shake up the AFC East in 2025.
Patriots could make some noise in the AFC East in 2025
Not to be a hot take artist, but indulge me for a moment.
Mike Vrabel is a very good head coach. Josh McDaniels is an outstanding offensive coordinator. If the Patriots get progression out of Drake Maye this year -- and why wouldn't they? -- then adding proper protection around him could set this offense off in year two of this new era.
Will Campbell isn't going to catch a bunch of passes or run for a bunch of touchdowns, but if you upgrade the protection around your quarterback, you give yourself a fraction of a second advantage on a bunch of different occasions throughout the course of a season, and those fractions add up.
The Patriots have the makings of a team that could really take a big leap in the 2025 season. The AFC East obviously includes a powerhouse in the Buffalo Bills but the Miami Dolphins will likely fall off majorly in 2025 with all of their roster concerns right now, and the Jets might end up being the new worst team in the division.
The Patriots have a chance to jump all the way up to the 2nd-best team in the AFC East and fortifying the offensive line is going to help this offense significantly.