Will Campbell and the New England Patriots celebrated their fifth consecutive victory in Week 8 with a 32-13 win over the Cleveland Browns. But, for the rookie left tackle, it was a humbling experience as Myles Garrett disrupted the offensive line and racked up five sacks.
Selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Campbell has been solid and has held his own so far in his young career. However, this past Sunday was a lesson on the field for Campbell who had to go up against one of the most ferocious pass rushers in the NFL.
In what would be a tough task for any tackle, Campbell was exposed a bit as he was overpowered at times with Garrett’s size, speed and athleticism. It didn’t hurt the team overall, but a learning experience for a player who didn’t put his head down but kept fighting.
Self-Assessment:
Although Garrett had his way, Campbell did fight back and held his own at times. What you must love about the Patriots rookie is he never puts his head down and continues to battle.
“He’s a really good player,” Campbell said when asked about blocking Garrett. “He beat me a few times and that is just part of the game. He gets paid a lot of money, and he got me a couple times. I just had to keep coming back and keep fighting, which is why we got the win.”
That fight and growing confidence will eventually earn Campbell a lot of money. Currently ranked by ProFootBall Focus (PFF) at No. 30 among NFL tackles with a 69.0 overall grade, the LSU product has been mostly solid in his rookie season and will continue to get better. Facing a talent like Garrett will only help his progress going forward.
Week 8 Grade and performance:
The impressive part about the Patriots as a team is that they found a way to take control of the game and limit Garrett’s destruction in the second half of the game. That could be contributed to Campbell’s fight and ability to stand his own against the Browns’ defensive front in the second half of the game. With time to throw, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was allowed to create plays and for that Campbell and the offensive line must get some credit.
In all, Campbell gets a C+ for the overall performance. Allowing 3 of the 5 sacks to Garrett could’ve led to a failing grade if not for Campbell’s ability to fight back.
That fight earned some praise from Garrett:
“He’s strong,” Garrett said on rushing against Campbell. “You want to set the tempo and the pace of the game with power. He was able to be pretty firm in his stance and keep me from knocking him back. Just trying to hit him with different looks, try to keep him off guard.
“I watched a lot of tape of him versus [then Alabama pass rusher] Will Anderson [in college] and I know he had a difficult time with Will, and I consider that my little bro. I had to try to take some things out of his book and work them into mine to have success.”
Talk about a tremendous confidence boost for a young player!
A look ahead at Week 9 vs. Atlanta Falcons:
Campbell will get a chance at redemption in Week 9 when the Patriots take on an Atlanta Falcons team that does get after the quarterback. The Patriots’ offensive line will have to contend with Zach Harrison who leads the team in sacks with 3.5, veteran defensive end Leonard Floyd and a pair of 2025 NFL Draft first rounders in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.