FOXBORO – Mike Vrabel told us what he wanted all along.

Players who play like Will Campbell. Fight like Will Campbell. Lead like Will Campbell.

Players who, as we saw Thursday night, are, in fact, Will Campbell.

Rugged, tough and nasty. Not meat and potatoes, but piss and vinegar.

A two-time captain. A fit for the new foundation. A fit for the new coach.

“Coach Vrabel is my kind of guy, all ball, no BS,” Campbell told reporters Wednesday before the draft. “That’s what I like.”

Three months ago, Vrabel all but outlined his next left tackle during his introductory press conference. How Patriots players would work to earn respect and playing time from the coaches and then unleash on their opponents.

“We’re going to ask our players to just do a few things,” Vrabel said. “One is to put the team first; to know what to do and play fast and aggressive. That’s the vision for the type of player. Winners come in all shapes and sizes. We’re going to have leaders. Leaders are going to identify themselves.”

Campbell may only be 21, but he spent most of his time in college leading a locker room of 90-plus teammates. He wore the No. 7, a treasured LSU tradition, because of his elite performance and ability to elevate the performance of those around him. Campbell demanded more from them and delivered it himself one winning season after another.

“Culture is going to be built on winning,” Vrabel said in January, “a competitive spirit throughout our roster and throughout our players and throughout our coaches and our staff and the ability to put the team first and care about somebody other than yourself.”

On Thursday night, moments after drafting Campbell, Vrabel used more words to describe his new left tackle.

Dependable. Accountable. A quick study. Vrabel called him an easy pick, one that became clear after the Patriots sent their top brass to work out Campbell last week on a trip to Louisiana.

“We spent a lot of time with him,” Vrabel added.

Maybe they didn’t have to.

The Patriots’ journey to drafting Campbell with the No. 4 overall pick was an exercise in the obvious. The team that needed a left tackle more than any other drafted a three-year starter with elite athletic traits from big-time school.

Sure, he doesn’t fit the historic mold of a typical No. 4 overall pick. He’s got short arms. The pressure rate Campbell allowed against top-tier competition registered higher than other elite tackle prospects in past classes. But what he lacked in dominant tape he made up for in culture fit and immediate and literal impact; Vrabel even put on pads to engage with Campbell in the workout.

“He showed up with one purpose,” Vrabel said, “and that was for us to pick him.”

Personally, I have my reservations. Campbell, in my mind, projects as a guard long-term. He may enhance the locker room, but the roster hole could remain for years to come if he’s forced to move to guard. The Patriots have guards.

But Campbell, as he once did at LSU, may prove me wrong.

There is a defiance about this young Louisiana native, just like the outside linebacker from Ohio turned head coach now charged with restoring the Patriots franchise to its former glory with a time-tested formula and timeless players.

“There are teams that want to play me at guard, and I’m fully willing to do that because I’m a team guy first, and I want to win, and I want to win now,” Campbell said this weeks. “And if that means playing me at guard, me at ‘X’ receiver, me at tight end, that’s what I’m going to do.”