It’s rare for a player to become a fan favorite before ever taking a snap in the NFL, but Will Campbell managed to do exactly that moments after the New England Patriots selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Now, after helping guide his new franchise to the Super Bowl in his rookie season, Campbell has become just as beloved inside the locker room as he is among the fan base, even earning admiration from teammates’ families along the way.
As he takes in the media frenzy surrounding football’s biggest stage, Campbell sat down with NFL on NBC to reflect on his relationships within the Patriots organization. One bond in particular has stood out: his growing connection with veteran offensive lineman Morgan Moses.
“Morgan has been extremely awesome to me,” Campbell said, highlighting the mentorship and support that have helped ease his transition to the NFL.
“I think, whenever you’re a young player coming into the league, you always kind of wonder what the veterans in your room are going to be like towards you… After I got drafted, he was one of the first people to reach out and text me. Called me the day after. We’ve had a great relationship and I’m super blessed to have someone like him in my corner.”
As ridiculous as it may sound, during the build-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, much was made about the length, or lack thereof, of Campbell’s arms. Many had legitimate concerns that he wouldn’t be quite as effective as others at the next level, but Moses seemed to help reassure him even after the Patriots decided to prove the scouts wrong.
Campbell also suggested that he now finds himself learning from Moses both on and off the field, and that the two of them have grown close enough together that he now jokes with the veteran’s kids that he’s “their white uncle.”
“Everything he does is at an elite level. You don’t make it in this league for 12 years and have the career that he’s had by not doing everything the right way, so really I just try to emulate the way that he goes about his days, the way that he carries himself, the way that he treats people. Just seeing the way he interacts with people and really just does everything in general is something that I want to try to model.”
With the potential to become a Super Bowl champion as a rookie, it seems safe to say that Campbell is more than capable of producing an equally impressive career to that of Moses.
However, he still needs to get past the Seattle Seahawks first, and that’s certainly easier said than done, especially when you consider that New England’s offensive line allowed the third most sacks of any unit in the league this season.
