Patriots' first-round pick pays tribute to former LSU teammate Kyren Lacy at NFL Draft: 'Special human being'

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"It means everything to me," Campbell said. "I'm gonna fight and die to protect them with everything I got."

But something else was on his mind on draft night. His former LSU teammate, Kyren Lacy, died last week from a self-inflicted gunshot.

At the draft, Campbell wore a pin with Lacy's No. 2 on his lapel.

"It's just terrible, everything that's happened. I'm sending many prayers to his family because he was gonna get his name called this weekend. … Even though his name won't be called, he's going to walk across that stage. He's here with us in spirit, and it was an honor to be a part of his journey."

Responding deputies removed Lacy from the vehicle to take him into custody, but he was found with a "self-inflicted gunshot wound" and pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said.

The wide receiver was under investigation in Louisiana for a crash in December that left a 78-year-old man dead, officials said in January. 

Lacy transferred to LSU in 2022. He had his best season in 2024, when he had 58 catches for 866 yards and nine touchdowns.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.