Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Revealed: Will Campbell, Kyle Williams and Patriots’ Camp Predictions!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Pat's training camp is just days away, and we have come up with three big camp predictions. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Taping in. I am your host of Nick Cattles. On today's show, Robert Spillane will be an intriguing watch over the next month, and I'm not necessarily bullish. In the second segment, I'm excited about Kyle Williams' long-term prospects,

Starting point is 00:00:38 but this camp is going to be tough. But first, Will Campbell's shot at earning his spot. Today's episode is brought to by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code lockdown for $20 off your first purchase. Lots of attention on Will Campbell throughout the off season. The memory that has been etched is, of course, Will Campbell not doing a good job against the Seahawks during the Super Bowl.

Starting point is 00:01:03 have talked about it ad nauseum. And because of that, because of that being our last memory of not only the Patriots, but Will Campbell's rookie season, Will Campbell is a top watch in this year's camp. He might be the top watch. And here's my prediction. My first big camp prediction, Will Campbell is going to respond. He is going to respond. And we will have few, if any, questions as we break camp.

Starting point is 00:01:33 that Will Campbell is the deserved starting left tackle for the Patriots in 2026. I believe Will Campbell has done everything that he has needed to do to get ready for a huge camp. He understands what went wrong, and he spent the off season working his tail off. We talked about it in a prior podcast, going to Lane Johnson's Academy for Offensive lineman. during this off season, making sure that he's working and not only working, but working with the right people, working with all pros. We saw the flood of social media posts about Will Campbell and what went wrong against the Seahawks by his fellow offensive linemen in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:02:24 And a lot of them said that they could help. Will Campbell went out and he seeked the help that he needed. And when you think about Will Campbell, and I know a lot of people, again, they'll just think about that Super Bowl. But I want you to think about Will Campbell before he got injured. I want you to think about Will Campbell going even further back than that. I want you to think about Will Campbell before the NFL draft in 2025 and what people were talking about regarding Will Campbell, aside from the arm length. Well, let's put that conversation on the back burner. And I want you to think about what people were saying regarding Will Campbell.

Starting point is 00:03:08 If you took away the questions regarding the length, what did we hear? We heard that Will Campbell has tremendous work ethic. Do you think somebody that has that type of work ethic is going to go through the experience that Campbell went through against the Seahawks in the biggest game of his life and not respond and not walk into the off season and work his butt off to make sure that he is correcting what needs to. be corrected. We heard about Will Campbell being a leader of men on the offensive line. Do you think a true leader, a true leader who is accountable, do you think a true leader who has been praised throughout his career at the collegiate level and before then as being a true bona fide leader? Do you think that type of man is going to just let the Super Bowl happen and not try to respond and not work towards being better,

Starting point is 00:04:02 all we heard about regarding Will Campbell at LSU was hard worker, leader of men, unbelievable character. And when we talk about those intangibles, that's why Mike Vrable bets on those types of intangibles. You know, when we're talking about somebody drafted in the first round, like 99.5% of those cats, they're naturally gifted. But it's what do those natural gifts lend themselves to when you run into an obstacle?

Starting point is 00:04:35 Do you have the intangibles to overcome? And if you're paying attention to the right things when you're drafting individuals in the NFL draft, then the answer to that question would be, yes, you do have what it takes to get past those obstacles. And when we look at, you know, the intangibles and who Will Campbell is as a huge, human being, I have to believe that he ran right smack dab head first into this offseason trying to prove that he could be better than what we saw last of him. So yes, I expect a more polished Will Campbell. I expect Will Campbell to follow the words of Lane Johnson and other

Starting point is 00:05:16 top tackles and offensive linemen that he's been training with over the past few months. I expect him to learn the technique from those guys. I expect him. I expect him to learn the technique from those guys. him to be better in his past protection sets. If we see the same old Will Campbell and there's no correction or upgrade improvement when it comes to his technique in his past sets, then he has let us all down. But most importantly, he has let himself down. And I just don't think he's that type of guy. I don't think he's that type of player.

Starting point is 00:05:49 Another thing that I believe we overlook is the fact that Will Campbell during his rookie season was 21 years old. He didn't turn 22 until what, January? I mean, that's the entire regular season for all intents and purposes as a 21 year old. And yeah, I've said it. And many of you know that. But do we truly appreciate, like how many offensive linemen are physically ready to step in day one, play left tackle at 21 years old. How many guys? Not many. Not many are asked to do that. But that's what Will Campbell was asked to do last year. 21 years old, walk into the NFL and try to play left tackle at a high enough level

Starting point is 00:06:42 to justify you being a top five pick. And I think pre-MCL injury, Will Campbell was doing a pre-MCL injury, Will Campbell was doing a pretty good job at 21 years old of proving himself capable, especially in past protection. We talked about the run blocking in a prior podcast recently, right? But when we're talking about past protection, I would say Will Campbell actually exceeded my expectations on a week-to-week basis. Yes, he had a tough time against Miles Garrett and one or two other top pass rushers.

Starting point is 00:07:17 That's going to happen to a 21-year-old. But for the majority of those games that we saw before the injury, he looked like he was ahead of the curve. He looked like he was a very mature 21 on the field. So I just think about how this guy is made in what he is made of, in the work that he put in this offseason, in what we saw at 21 years old before the MCL injury. And I just have to believe that the freak athleticism remains.

Starting point is 00:07:53 He's 22 years old. Yes, it's an MCL, but his freakish athleticism should still be there at camp. So when you combine that freakish athleticism with the expected improved technique, with the nonstop drive and work ethic that he has, And now with the experience that he gained from last year, the knowledge that he gained, what he's been talking about with his fellow offensive linemen during this offseason, learning the tricks of the trade, understanding why pass rushers do what they do at that level. And the fact that Will Campbell, according to Evan Lazar, looks like he put some size on that frame.

Starting point is 00:08:37 All of those things make me feel good and confident and optimistic that Will Campbell is going to respond during this camp. And by the time we break camp, Will Campbell is going to be the starting left tackle, just like he is right now when I'm talking about him. And there will be more Patriots fans confident in his ability to do the job. We are going to get there by the end of camp. That is my first camp prediction. But I ain't done. Coming up, my prediction on where Kyle Williams will rest on the depth chart post-training camp. This is locked down. Patriots, part of the lockdown podcast network. Now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day.

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Starting point is 00:11:38 type of camp we all hope and want him to have. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being and every day. Don't forget, if you're watching us on YouTube to click that thumbs up, give us a like. Don't forget to throw a comment in as well. Are you optimistic about Will Campbell responding to the adversity that we saw against Seattle? Last game, we remember the Patriots playing, unfortunately. Are you confident? Are you optimistic that he is going to respond because I am? I want your thoughts on that. Don't forget to comment. And don't forget to subscribe. We have hit 10,000 subscribers at my last check. I appreciate every single one of you. I thank. every single one of you. Next goal, 11,000. Can we get to 11,000 subscribers by week one of the NFL

Starting point is 00:12:23 season as we get you ready for that Seattle Seahawks matchup in Seattle. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. I believe Kyle Williams is a good football player. And I believe that Kyle Williams will be a top three wide receiver on this football team at some point. But unfortunately, my second big camp prediction is that Kyle Williams does not break camp as the third wide receiver on this depth chart. Again, I like Kyle Williams. My job is to be objective. My job is to look at this and try to prepare you for what I think is going to happen. And I think Kyle Williams is going to break camp as wide receiver likely for maybe even five.

Starting point is 00:13:14 depending on a couple of things. Now, why do I feel that way? Number one, Drake May, we know who he's going to be focused on. Yes, we would all love to believe that Drake May, what's his favorite wide receiver? Who's his favorite wide receiver? The open wide receiver. We would all hope that is the case. But let's be realistic. If you're Drake May and you drop back in the pocket, who are you focused on? Are you focused on AJ Brown and trying to get chemistry with Brown before the season that continued chemistry from what we saw at mandatory minicamp? Or are you focused on Kyle Williams? When you drop back in the pocket, if you're Drake May, who were you focused on?

Starting point is 00:13:56 Are you focused on the guy you're paying, you know, 17, 18 million a year, the big acquisition to the offense before the A.J. Brown trade and Romeo Dobbs? Or are you focused on Kyle Williams? I just think a lot of the focus from Drake May during this camp, especially early on, is going to be towards A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs. And then everybody else is going to fall into line after that. Part of that, everybody else is Matt Collins.

Starting point is 00:14:28 Now, Mac Collins, I think Kyle Williams is more talented than Mac Collins. But Mac Collins is big. He is a big target. And we know that Drake May loves throwing the football to bigger targets. I think that's one of the reasons. reasons why AJ Brown was a perfect fit in the off season. Romeo Dobbs is bigger than you think. I think when you look at Romeo Dobbs, and it might be the helmet, but when you look at

Starting point is 00:14:57 Romeo Dobbs, a lot of people think, oh, what is he, 510, 511? No, Romeo Dobbs is 6 foot 2. He's 6 foot 2, somewhere between 205, 210 pounds. He's a bigger receiver. Mack Hollins is 6'4-21. Kyle Williams is 510-190. So even Romeo Dobbs has, you know, three or four inches and 10 to 20 pounds on Kyle Williams. If you're Drake May and you are just much more comfortable throwing to bigger receivers, then you might even look towards Mack Hollins first before you look to Kyle Williams. So now you've got A.J. Brown. You've got Romeo Dobbs and you've got Mack Hollins. The Patriots want to, and I believe,

Starting point is 00:15:47 the Patriots will run the football. And if you are the Patriots, you're Josh McDaniels, and you want to establish that run game, you want to be a more consistent running football team, then you're going to look at the guys that play wide receiver that can block the best for you in said run game. And if I were to sit here and list the blocking wide receivers, I would put A.J. Brown, Romeo, Dobbs, and Matt Collins all ahead of. I think they're all better blockers than Kyle Williams. And again, that goes back to the size that we just discussed. So if you want to run the football, you want to get that game going,

Starting point is 00:16:31 you could see A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs and a lot of two wide receiver sets. When you move to three wide receivers, you could see Brown, Dobbs, and Hollins because you're going to make defenses guess as to what you're going to do offensively on that specific play when you have a three wide receiver set and those are the three receivers because you could still run the football with those three dudes on the field. So this is not an indictment on Kyle Williams. It's more of looking at what you have at that position in that room in the depth chart. And I just think Kyle Williams during this camp, he's going to get reps with Drake May. And he's going to get more reps with Drake May than he did last camp.

Starting point is 00:17:14 There's no doubt in my mind that that will be the case. but I also understand that even though he's going to get more reps with Drake May, I don't think he's going to get a ton of reps with Drake May. I think the majority of those reps are going to be taken by AJ Brown, Romeo Dobbs, Matt Collins, and maybe even Pop Douglas, because as we have discussed in prior podcasts, both Mike Vrable and Drake May have come out publicly saying they want Pop Douglas to be more a part of this offense in 26 than he was in 25.

Starting point is 00:17:45 at some point the numbers are going to crunch you. And I think, you know, Kyle Williams, for him to leave camp as the third receiver on the depth chart, he has to have an outstanding camp. And I hope he does. But when we talk about the amount of reps and how he has to have quality reps, I mean, we're talking about big time quality, make a big place. People are raving about him after almost every practice. That's the type of camp that Kyle Williams is going to have to have to leapfrog the guys in front of him.

Starting point is 00:18:28 Even Matt Collins. It's going to be tough. It's going to be tough. Now, with that said, this is breaking camp. I would not be surprised if this changes as the year goes on. and I would not be surprised if Kyle Williams ends up being wide receiver 3 by, let's say, November. Because Kyle Williams does bring the speed element that Mack Hollins doesn't. And even though Kyle Williams is smaller than Mack Collins, he's bigger than Pop Douglas.

Starting point is 00:19:08 So if you want the speed element, but you want somebody who is stronger, who might have a more vast route tree, who is a bigger target for Drake May, then Kyle Williams, he checks those boxes. So I do think, even though the Patriots leave camp, and I think Kyle Williams will be wide receiver four, if not five, there is going to be opportunity, and I would not be surprised by the time we get to around Thanksgiving

Starting point is 00:19:42 that Kyle Williams is out there with Romeo Dobbs and A.J. Brown more often than anyone else. Matt Collins is 33 years old. And as much as they want to put Pop Douglas out there, I do think the frame and the size is going to impact his usage. And we know that Mike Vrable, he manages veterans. So Kyle Williams, wide receiver three by around Thanksgiving, I'd probably buy that stock. Kyle Williams, wide receiver three by the end of this camp, I'm not as bullish. That's prediction number two.

Starting point is 00:20:21 We've discussed the lineback depth on the pod, but we really need to discuss their quote unquote ace at that position. That's coming up next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. There are more live events than ever worth seeing right now. Games, concerts, comedy shows, festivals, the hard part usually isn't deciding what you want to attend. It's actually getting the tickets between long wait times, confusing checkout, processes and surprise fees.

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Starting point is 00:21:58 Thanks for checking out the lockdown podcast network. Now the number one sports podcast network. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. Before we get to Robert Spillane, a little roster update for you. And we talked about the Patriots releasing Travis Shaw, UDFA defensive tackle over the weekend. And I had surmise that this might lead to an interior offensive line edition, a tight end edition, maybe even an edge addition.

Starting point is 00:22:28 Not quite. The Patriots have swapped defensive tackle for defensive tackle. And I am surprised by this because of the depth at that position and some of the seemingly lack of depth at the other positions. But Isaiah Aiton ends up being signed by the Patriots. So, you know, he was with them in 2025, showed some flashes. And so the Patriots have swapped defensive tackle for defensive tackle. That's the latest regarding the roster movement as we get ready for camp on Saturday.

Starting point is 00:23:01 All right, my final camp prediction, I think by the end of camp, there will be at least some concern about Robert Spillane. He's not the best coverage linebacker, even though pro football focus actually had Spillane ranked 18th last year. That's surprisingly high to me. his coverage grade was 18th, according to PFF. I don't think Robert Spillane is very good in coverage. I think he's okay in finding spots, right?

Starting point is 00:23:33 Finding zones and making some plays in passing lanes, but straight up coverage against somebody across from him, I think he could run into some problems. And I just think about what the Patriots are going to do offensively. I think they're going to, as I've mentioned in prior podcasts, they're going to eat underneath in this passing game. And so when you eat underneath, you're attacking the linebackers. That's what you're doing.

Starting point is 00:24:01 And I just think for Robert Spillane, throughout this camp, having to face from Andre Stevenson, who's a very good receiver at running back, Trayvion Henderson, who has tremendous receiving skills if he could stay on the field with his pass protection. then AJ Brown, Romeo Dobbs, Matt Collins, then Hunter Henry, Eli Rairdon. I mean, these are a lot of tough matchups across the board for Robert Spillane in the passing game. And so I'm not going to be surprised if I read multiple times during camp, Robert Spillane was beat by this player underneath for a gain or a touchdown.

Starting point is 00:24:43 I'm not going to be surprised by that. it is not Robert Spillane's strength and the type of talent the Patriots have that will be going against him. I think it's just a pretty bad matchup for him. Let's also not forget that Robert Spillane turned 30 years old in December. I looked this up. Last year, the average age at linebacker was just a shade over 26, 26.33. So 26 years old in three months is the average age. age at linebacker according to the 2025 information that we have.

Starting point is 00:25:22 Now usually linebackers, they start to fade when they hit 30, 31. And for most linebackers, yes, there are unique examples of guys who are in their early to mid-30s that play pretty well. I understand that. But the vast majority of players at that position, you know, once you get 31, 32, especially 32, you're pretty. much aged out at that position for most guys. So Robert Spillane is right on the precipice from what Intel information analytics would tell you is the falling off the cliff point

Starting point is 00:25:58 at his position. It is a demanding position. It is a grind to play linebacker. It is especially a grind and especially demanding when you play the way that Robert Spillane plays. He has averaged almost 121 tackles over his past four years. He's out there. He's wreck and shop. He's making plays. We know how the Patriots defense was much better against the run when a healthy Robert Spillane was out there.

Starting point is 00:26:30 A very demanding, taxing position. And now he's 30. And now he's coming off an ankle and foot injury. Now, fortunately, we have heard that he did not need surgery on this injury, but at mandatory mini-camp, he looked a step slow. Now, he's got time, obviously, and it's been about a month and a half or so since he was last on the field. Maybe he looks like a different guy on Saturday. And week one of camp, we're talking about Roberts Blaine flying all over the place. Could be the case. But I just think,

Starting point is 00:27:05 you know, 30 years old, the way he has played the position, what history has told us about that position, the fact that if you had to pick a weakness, it would not be his run defense, it would be his coverage in the past game and the matchups he's going to face. I think there will be concern about Robert Spillane not being the same type of guy that he was last year as we are breaking camp. Now, with that said, as a caveat, I do think Robert Spillane will be at least average in 2026. I think Mike Vrable will manage him. The coaching staff will manage him. And I think he will be at least an average, maybe even slightly above average linebacker in 2026 because of the management, because of the scheme that they run,

Starting point is 00:27:53 and because this defense is just very talented around Roberts Bullying. So I do think that during the year, we'll say, okay, he was, he was fine. He was, he was good some weeks. Overall, he was average. But by the end of this camp, given how camp is run, the matchups he's facing, all that stuff I've said, I do think there's going to be some concern from corners of Patriotsville about Robert Spillane and his ability to do what they're going to ask him to do in 2026. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C Radio. And don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube. Thank you for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen for your second listen.

Starting point is 00:28:38 check out Lockdown NFL scouting. Kyle Crabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this offseason. Find Lockdown NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Have a great day. We'll see you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Revealed: Will Campbell, Kyle Williams and Patriots’ Camp Predictions!

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