FOXBORO — It’s been hard to assess Patriots top draft pick Will Campbell during spring practices, because on top of being voluntary, they’re also unpadded.
But offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has still seen growth from Campbell, who’s been a mainstay at left tackle in the team’s top offense.
“I think Will, and the entire group, has really done a nice job of trying to deal with a difficult front,” McDaniels said. “We’re getting a bunch of different looks this time of the year. You just put all those reps on the film, and then we have them to teach off of as we go into training camp in July and August. So he’s really grinding away. He’s getting a lot of looks against a lot of good players, a lot of high-tempo reps.”
Campbell was immediately thrust into the top spot at left tackle and hasn’t budged from the position during OTAs.
Offensive line coach Doug Marrone believes the structure of Vrabel’s OTAs sessions, which is heavy on 11-on-11 work, will help players like Campbell develop. The Patriots haven’t run any competitive 7-on-7 drills during spring practices open to reporters. Bill Belichick typically liked to mix in 7-on-7 work while the offensive and defensive line worked separately during OTAs, minicamp and training camp.
“I think the way Coach Vrabel has the practices set up, we’ve gotten a lot of great work against our defense, and I think all those things are going to help (Campbell),” Marrone said. “I think he’s progressing towards when we get to training camp. So I think it’s been great from that standpoint.”
