The first two days of full-pads practices earlier this week were encouraging for New England Patriots rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell. While the fourth overall selection in this year’s draft had some moments of inconsistency on both Monday and Tuesday, the arrow was seemingly pointing in the right direction at all times.
Then came Wednesday. While the Patriots did shed the full pads for a shoulder pad-shorts combination, the level of competition and physicality remained unchanged.
What was different was Campbell’s ability to withstand the pressure he was facing. The 21-year-old was first beaten by Bradyn Swinson in 1-on-1s and then twice by K’Lavon Chaisson in full team work.