New England Patriots
“A country kid drafted in the first round, so I know the pressures that are on guys like that.”
Will Campbell is looking to make major strides in his second season with the Patriots. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
August 20, 2026 | 11:30 AM
2 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH — Lane Johnson and Will Campbell grew up roughly 250 miles away from each other in Groveton, Texas, and Monroe, Louisiana, respectively.
But Johnson — a five-time All-Pro right tackle and two-time Super Bowl champion — believes there are plenty of parallels drawn between his career and that of Campbell.
Much like how the Patriots selected Campbell fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft in hopes that he would protect Drake Maye’s blind side for years to come, the Eagles picked Johnson fourth overall in the 2013 NFL Draft.
The Patriots are banking on Campbell fitting a similar profile as Johnson as a hard-nosed, reliable tackle that can anchor an offensive line for a decade.
That pressure falling on Campbell resonates with the 36-year-old Johnson, who offered up plenty of praise for the 22-year-old Patriots left tackle following Wednesday’s joint practice between New England and Philadelphia.
“Will kind of reminds me of myself, in a way,” Johnson said. “A country kid drafted in the first round, so I know the pressures that are on guys like that. For me, I thought he had a really good rookie season. Talking to him — really, our lives are pretty similar in a lot of ways in what we’re doing. You can see him getting better. I was watching him some today, he looks thicker and bigger. He’s healed up from his knee injury.”
Johnson saw firsthand some of the strides that Campbell made over the offseason, as the Eagles veteran invited him to Rooks Performance, his training facility in Oklahoma. While there, Campbell worked alongside Johnson and other top offensive linemen across the NFL, including Dion Dawkins, Tristan Wirfs, Creed Humphrey, and Tyler Guyton.
Speaking at the start of camp, Campbell said the decision to work out with some of the best players at their craft was a no-brainer over the offseason.
“You’d be kind of dumb not to,” Campbell said. “When you’re around Lane Johnson, Triston Wirfs, Dion Dawkins, if they say something, like I said, they’ve all played almost 10 years plus, and all of them are All-Pro at some point. They know what they’re talking about.
“I worked with a lot of guys who have been around a long time and done it at a high level for a long time. Just anything that they can teach me that could help me, whether that’s football or off the field or just training, just being around in the same environment. I always want to put myself in the best position possible.”
Despite an up-and-down rookie campaign in Foxborough that included playing off an MCL sprain and a rough showing in Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks, Campbell has impressed so far during training camp — winning multiple 1-on-1 reps and holding his own on Wednesday against some of the Eagles’ imposing defensive linemen.
“Nobody’s a finished product. It’s not one specific thing that I’m going to nail,” Campbell said of his career progression in June. “I’ve worked at everything every day. I’m 22. I’m a long way from where I’m going to be in the future. I’m building everything, every day. And trying to make everything as a whole, better.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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