The Patriots wanted to meet up with Will Campbell one last time before settling in on the LSU product as their 2025 first-round pick.

This under-the-radar trip to the Bayou wasn’t an ordinary visit, though. As ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Thursday, the night New England drafted Campbell fourth overall, Mike Vrabel went toe-to-toe with the 21-year-old in a blocking drill. The linebacker-turned-coach still boasts imposing size, but he didn’t stand a chance against arguably the best offensive lineman in the entire class.

Vrabel fielded questions about the Patriots’ Campbell pick shortly after the “nasty” tackle embraced NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and it was in that media availability when the Patriots coach learned his pre-draft knockdown had been reported by Thamel. If the three-time Super Bowl champion has his way, no one else will see footage of Campbell manhandling his new coach.

“I realize I’m close to 50, and if that tape ever gets out, people are going to have some problems. I hope that tape never sees the light of day,” Vrabel told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “I think it was important for me to get out there, feel them and feel every player that we evaluated at the line of scrimmage.”

Campbell didn’t dive deep into details about his physical encounter with Vrabel when he spoke to the media for the first time as a Patriot. However, the Louisiana native did acknowledge he put Vrabel “on the ground.”

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Now, New England will be looking for Campbell to showcase the same dominance against opposing pass-rushers on a game-by-game basis.

Featured image via Winslow Townson/Imagn Images