Drake Maye gives a vote of confidence for Will Campbell

FOXBOROUGH — Will Campbell had a playoff run to forget earlier this year.

The rookie left tackle showed potential early in 2025 after New England drafted him fourth overall out of LSU, protecting Drake Maye’s blindside as the Patriots began to find their collective stride down the field.

However, the 22-year-old offensive lineman has also experienced his expected share of growing pains against some elite forwards — with those struggles becoming more pronounced following Campbell’s return from a torn MCL.

Campbell was cleared to play in the postseason, but was regularly forced into games against the Chargers, Texans, Broncos and Seahawks. Unfortunately for New England, Campbell’s worst performance at the highest level came in Super Bowl LX against Seattle.

According to Next Gen Stats, Campbell took a whopping 14 pressures against the Seahawks — an ugly stat line that represents the most pressures allowed by any player in a game this season, including playoffs.

In all, Maye was sacked six times and injured on 11 other occasions during New England’s final 29-13 loss at Levi’s Stadium.

This poor end to a promising season for Campbell has raised a lot of questions this offseason about Campbell’s long-term outlook as he leaves the New England franchise to handle it — and whether or not he would be better off switching to guard if his struggles continue.

But on Wednesday, Maye offered a strong endorsement of the offensive lineman — noting that he himself has experienced his fair share of ups and downs during his first year in the NFL in 2024.

“Will has a great mentality. I think he kind of understands the business and what this league is about,” May said. [had] Similar experience to me. Obviously the seasons we had were different between mine and his freshman year, but he had the whole season, you know, the ups and downs of it. “I think he has a great attitude.”

Speaking to reporters in the Patriots’ locker room the day after the Super Bowl, Campbell was at a loss for words when asked to evaluate his play against Seattle.

“It comes with the job. When you’re not doing your job, obviously I’m highly selected, I’m paid a lot. So people expect a certain thing, and I expect more of myself,” Campbell said. “So when I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to say, ‘It’s OK, mate.’ I mean, obviously it sucks. But it doesn’t bother anyone any more than it bothers me.”

Campbell also stressed that there are still plenty of positives to be taken from his first year in Foxboro, as New England is counting on his continued development in such an important part of the team’s O-line.

The free agent addition of left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker could also be a stabilizing presence alongside Campbell in 2026 — as long as the 26-year-old guard can stay healthy.

“I don’t think one performance defines the season,” Campbell said in February. “I think I did some good things this year.” “Obviously there’s room to grow in every aspect of my game. I’m 22 years old. I have a lot of room to grow in every aspect as a player, as a leader; whether it’s strength and conditioning, pass protection, run blocking, whatever it may be. I have growth all around. I’m young, I’m learning.”

New England has some contingency plans in place if Campbell’s struggles continue, with the Patriots selecting Utah State tackle Caleb Lomu with the 28th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While Lomu is considered a long-term replacement for 35-year-old right tackle Morgan Moses, he has played the majority of snaps at left tackle for the Utes over the past few years.

However, May confirmed that Campbell will look to put the end of last season in the rearview mirror once training camp begins in earnest in July.

“He does the best he can,” May said of Campbell. “I think he has a little extra motivation for himself to prove to us and prove to himself that he can be one of the best players in this league at his position.”

Connor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.