FOXBOROUGH — Will Campbell can’t wait to get to New England.

Drafted at No. 4 overall, the left tackle out of LSU said he’d wanted to be a Patriot all along — he told Eliot Wolf as much in Baton Rouge last fall — and he’s really looking forward to protecting Drake Maye.

“I’m super excited,” Campbell said. “He’s a heck of a player. A heck of a leader. He’s the commander of our offense, so I’m not only excited to play with him but the rest of the team. I’m excited for the future we have in Foxborough and I think we’ve got a special season coming.”

In a teary interview with NFL Network, Campbell took that a step further.

“I’m gonna fight and die to protect (Maye) with everything I’ve got,” he said.

Needless to say, that earned Maye’s approval. The second-year quarterback was quick to repost Campbell’s interview.

“Love this guy already,” Maye said with a fire emoji. “LFG.”

In his own press conference after picking Campbell in Thursday’s first round, Mike Vrabel raved about the player the Patriots were getting.

“Adding Will to our football team, it’s about a foundational piece, a young 21-year-old, that’s mature beyond his years,” Vrabel said. “He’s a leader. He’s durable. He’s physical, dependable, accountable, a quick study. We spent a lot of time with him. Whatever mistakes that showed up – which they all do – he recovers quickly and can fix those mistakes. We spent a lot of time and we looked at a lot of other players and worked a lot of other players out. He made a huge impact on us, and we’re excited about adding him, and I look forward to seeing him and his family here tomorrow.”