The Patriots continued to retool their offensive line by selecting Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Speaking about the pick on the Patriots Unfiltered draft show, Patriots personnel chief Eliot Wolf noted that Lomu was one of a few players New England discussed trading up for in the first round. With seven tackles projected to go in the opening round, Lomu was the last first-round caliber tackle standing after the Steelers selected Arizona State's Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick. So, the Patriots didn't wait around, knowing there was a talent drop-off from the top-seven tackles to the rest of the class.

Before we get into Lomu's film, I have a few big-picture thoughts about what the pick means for the Patriots offense in the trenches. First, it's notable that New England has added four elite athletes on the offensive line over the last two offseasons. Wolf mentioned an emphasis on protecting QB Drake Maye, the importance of athleticism to fit a diverse run scheme, and continuing to move the pocket to allow Maye to throw on the run, which is a strength of his game.

Along those same lines, is it possible that the Patriots pivot to even more outside zone and bootleg play sequencing next season? Last season, the Pats only ran outside zone on 17.2% of their run plays, 26th in the NFL. Conversely, New England ranked ninth in bootleg usage (9.4%). If they want to feature bootlegs or moving pockets, they have to marry the stretch play to their bootlegs more frequently to get defenses to respect the bootleg fake so they can change the point of attack on the defense effectively.

Over the last two offseasons, the Patriots have added elite athletes along the offensive line in LT Will Campbell (9.90 RAS), C Jared Wilson (9.82 RAS), Alijah Vera-Tucker (9.77 RAS), and now Lomu, who registered the fifth-best relative athletic score among tackles at this year's combine (9.89 RAS). Although that comes with some play strength concerns for the group, it projects as a good pass-blocking unit, which makes sense since the Patriots will likely be a high-volume passing attack with the MVP runner-up as their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.

The other thoughts kicking around my football-shaped brain are what this pick means for 35-year-old vet Morgan Moses and RG Mike Onwenu. The Pats top brass has said that Campbell isn't moving off left tackle. They've also been consistent that Moses plans to play in 2026. Still, you wonder how much longer Moses, who was spotted in pictures on Patriots.com from the early days of the Patriots offseason program, plans on playing. With Onwenu, the Pats starting right guard is in the final year of a three-year contract with a $25 million cap hit. With the initiative to get more athletic on the offensive line, the 350-pound road-grading guard doesn't seem to fit the mold.

From this perspective, Lomu projects a top swing tackle backup as a rookie while he develops behind the scenes. He's immediate depth at a position where the Patriots were thin and a potential succession plan for Moses on the right side. When you peel back those layers, it makes sense that the Patriots targeted Lomu.

Let's break down the film on the Patriots first-round pick from his two years as a starter at Utah.

Pass Protection

Statistically, the numbers look great for Lomu as a pass protector inside Utah's RPO-heavy scheme under offensive coordinator Jason Beck last season.

The Pats first-rounder allowed zero sacks and just five total pressures on 102 true pass sets, which removes screens, quick-games, and play-action passes to capture NFL-style drop-backs. Although the numbers look good, there's important context needed. Among the seven first-round tackles, Lomu and his college teammate, Spencer Fano, had the smallest sample of true pass sets due to the nature of Utah's offense. That said, Lomu had more true pass sets in 2024 with a different offensive coordinator (199).

Although some projecting is needed on how he'll handle a pro-style passing game, Lomu had high-end flashes of being an elite pass protector. The 21-year-old has the fluidity, body control, and foot speed to mirror with dynamic rushers on the outside. Lomu also has a good initial burst out of his stance and recovery ability to drop anchor. Plus, his awareness and redirect quickness allows him to pick up line stunts at a high level.

When it comes to matching outside speed, Lomu (LT, No. 71) has the movement skills to cut off the angle to the quarterback by meeting rushers at the top of the rush. When he trusts his foot speed to maintain his positional leverage, Lomu has moments of really good high-side pass protection to run the rusher past the quarterback. He also has quick redirect speed to match twitchy inside rush moves, with the ability to protect both his edges and diagnose stunts quickly to block schemed rushes.

Along with having smooth slides to stay connected to speed rushers, Lomu has solid lower-body flexibility while working to refit his hands to roll his hips through contact, which helps him grind down the bull rush. Lomu's flexibility as a 6-6, 313-pound athlete and grip strength are impressive. He can sink his hips and latch his hands inside the rusher's frame to absorb power, which bodes well for him in the pros.

As for areas to improve in pass protection, Lomu gets into trouble when he opens his hips too early, shortening the outside corner, or when he drifts off the top of his set. In the first clip above, Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height uses an inside stutter fake to get access to the outside edge, then Lomu swings his hips open, allowing Height to turn a tight corner by dipping around the edge. Height also beat Lomu to the inside on the next clip.

Lomu will need more consistency in his pass sets to stay square to the rusher without opening his hips early and maintain his positional leverage to protect against inside rush moves. However, those are nuanced coaching points from a technique standpoint that are fixable, especially with his athletic profile. Overall, Lomu has a very solid foundation to be a high-level pass protector early in his rookie contract.

Run Blocking

As a run blocker, there are questions about Lomu's raw power and grit to finish blocks, but his athleticism allows him to be an effective zone blocker and move blocker up to the second level.

Although he'll need to improve his play strength, Lomu has good range as a run blocker. If the Pats plan on running more outside zone, he can cut off the backside and execute the frontside reach. Above, the first clip shows Lomu reaching the frontside end and turning him out to get the edge for the ball carrier. Then, he combos on the backside up to the linebacker as the back hits the cutback lane. Lomu can also execute pulls up to the second level or long pulls to kick out the opposite edge, making him a pretty versatile blocker.

Lomu wasn't on my Patriots big board for two reasons. One, he played only 32 total snaps at right tackle in college. As mentioned, New England's brass has been clear: Will Campbell is the starting left tackle. Taking those statements at face value, Lomu will need to switch sides. The other unknown was whether Lomu's finesse style would be a fit for head coach Mike Vrabel. Obviously, my compass was off because the Patriots not only drafted Lomu, they traded up for him, giving up the 125th pick in the fourth round to secure the Utah tackle.

After we spent all draft season discussing right tackle fits such as Max Iheanachor and Blake Miller, the Patriots had Lomu on a shortlist of prospects whom they were willing to trade up for in the first round. Ultimately, the appeal of drafting a player with starter upside at a premium position led New England to select Lomu with the 28th overall pick in the draft.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer