“Nobody stood for Patriot football more than him.” That’s the shoutout Tom Brady once gave to Logan Malkins. The 7-time Pro Bowler spent most of his career with the New England Patriots before moving to Tampa Bay for his last two seasons. Coming to the Patriots, he was one of the finest OLs the team has ever known. This guy even scored a TD once back in 2006, breaking an NFL record that no one saw coming. This was the first NFL game where two OLs had scored touchdowns (the other one being a TD by Jeff Saturday). For the majority of his career, he gave his all to protect Tom Brady.
That historical TD he made? That was him saving a fumble made by Brady. You don’t just protect your QB from sacks, you watch his back wherever you can. That’s the message he gave to the world with that play. Now, almost a decade after the fact, another player in the Patriots is drawing parallels to the legendary protector. Patriots’ new OT, Will Campbell. In a short clip shared on the Dude on Dudes podcast’s Instagram page, Rob Gronkowski (former TE for the Patriots and later the Buccaneers) breaks down this year’s draft picks made by the New England Patriots with Julian Edelman (former Patriots WR). Straight off the bat, Gronk goes, “The Patriots A+ in the draft.” And then, Julian drops the bomb.
Julian said on the podcast, “Campbell, I love him. I think I really love him. All my little sources, they all say this kid’s a f—— killer. After I saw his interview, said he would f—— die for Drake Maye, gave me low-key some Logan Mankin vibes.” And it’s 100% legit. If you saw this kid’s interview after he was drafted, you’d know he was practically in tears. “I’ve worked my entire life to be up here, to be able to get my name called by a franchise like New England means everything to me.” When he was asked, “you were brought to New England to protect Drake Maye, what kind of tone are you going to set on this offensive line?” His response had everyone screaming their lungs out in approval. “I’m gonna fight and die to protect him with everything I’ve got.” Mic. Drop. Moment.
Will Campbell is an elite athlete in his own right. His experience and build will help him draw out his fullest potential for the Patriots, and his stance on protecting his QB? Well, it’s no wonder former Patriots are rooting for this guy. Campbell has played a total of 38 games and amassed a massive 2,553 snaps. Sacks allowed? Only 5. When he said “protect him [Maye] with everything I’ve got.”, he meant serious business. Will Campbell joins the Patriots draft class along with 10 dynamite additions, and together, they might very well lead Drake Maye’s offense to greater heights than ever. And just as Julian Edelman finishes talking about Campbell, Gronk drops a shoutout of his own, and makes a serious claim for another one of the Patriots’ picks.
Rob Gronkowski’s future sight for the Patriots
Comparing a guy to a legend like Logan Malkins is its own headline. But Rob Gronkowski doesn’t draw the line with Julian Edelman’s parallel. On the podcast, he goes on to drop a name that he believes could easily have a starting role for the Patriots. And it’s not just maybe, someday, kind of deal. We’re talking right now. Gronk gave a shoutout to TreVeyon Henderson, the Patriots’ new WR. He said, “TreVeyeon Henderson can possibly be their starting running back from day one. He’s gonna make Drake Maye feel really, really comfortable in the pocket because he’s one of the best pass-protecting backs to come out of college football.”
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Super Bowl LVII-Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles Feb 12, 2023 Glendale, Arizona, US Former NFL player Rob Gronkowski looks on before Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium. Glendale State Farm Stadium Arizona US, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexCamporealex 20230212_lbm_aa9_002
“One of the best”? Well, yeah. In his college career with Ohio State, Henderson played in 47 games. His total carries? 590, for a clean sweeping 3,761 yards. And with 48 career TDS (with 42 rushing and 6 receiving touchdowns). Remember when we were talking about Campbell? Well, Henderson means serious business, too. Whether he will become the Patriots’ starting RB, that’s something we’ll just have to wait and see. As the new draft class prepares for the training camp, Gronk and Edelman have very high hopes for both of these players. And it’s not just these two, though, as their Instagram post’s caption rightly sums it up, it’s an “A+++ Draft for the New England Patriots”, and we can hardly wait to see how they pan out.
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