Caleb Lomu Expected To Be Patriots’ Swing Tackle
Patriots first-round pick Caleb Lomu is expected to be the team’s primary swing tackle in 2026, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
The 21-year-old made all 24 of his college starts at left tackle, but New England is committed to keeping 2025 No. 4 pick Will Campbell on the blind side despite an up-and-down rookie year and a rough showing in the Super Bowl. At right tackle, the Patriots have Morgan Moses, who just put up back-to-back season with a top-10 pass blocking efficiency among starting tackles.
Moses, though, is entering his age-35 season with no guaranteed money after this year, which likely positions Lomu as his long-term successor. While the No. 28 pick lined up at left tackle at rookie minicamp, he is expected to take reps on both sides in training camp with first-team reps on his veteran teammate’s rest days, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
Lomu said at minicamp that he sees himself “as a tackle in general – left or right side.”
“I just happened to play left in college and that’s what I got comfortable to, playing those three years at left tackle at Utah,” he continued. “My first year there I was kind of a swing tackle.” The former Ute added that he has spent time working on the right side during the pre-draft process.
The Patriots also see a lot of upside in third-round pick Eli Raridon. They rode out a run of seven tight ends on Day 2 before landing him with the 95th overall selection. With Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq going in the first round, that made Raridon the ninth player selected at his position, but New England “had him ranked considerably higher,” Reiss reports.
With 32-year-old Hunter Henry entering a contract year, Raridon could be the team’s tight end of the future. The 22-year-old only started for one year at Notre Dame, but Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf said the team sees “untapped potential” in the “tremendous athlete.” He will likely spend his rookie year as the team’s TE3 behind Henry and free agent signing Julian Hill, but quickly developing a rapport with quarterback Drake Maye could expand his role.
Panthers Were Focused On Tackle Help In Round 1
Sometimes draft boards falling in certain ways lead teams to make best-player-available picks, thus leaving some need areas after taking a player at a fairly well-stocked position. Although the Panthers were regularly mocked tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 19, the team was focused on filling a position that appeared fortified.
The Panthers ended up with Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling at No. 19, after the Jets chose Sadiq 16th overall. Carolina does not appear to have pivoted after New York’s Sadiq pick, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tabbing the NFC South team as having a “tackle or bust” first-round mindset.
The team was interested in Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Lomu as well, Fowler adds, but it clearly valued Freeling higher than the latter. Lomu went off the board to the Patriots at No. 28, being the last of nine first-round O-linemen chosen in this draft. We had heard a run on O-linemen was likely around the middle of the first round, though the Panthers’ participation proved interesting.
Our Adam La Rose covered this issue in his most recent PFR mailbag, but the Panthers now have a crowded tackle group. The team returns longtime RT Taylor Moton and has LT Ikem Ekwonu on a fifth-year option. Although Ekwonu is not expected to be available to start the season, the team signed Rasheed Walker to a one-year deal worth just $4MM. Jauan Jennings‘ situation notwithstanding, Walker’s market underwhelmed to the greatest degree during this year’s free agency period.
Walker had worked as a three-year Packers starter at left tackle, rising from a seventh-round pedigree. High on most free agent rankings lists (including ours), the David Bakhtiari replacement started 48 games from 2023-25 and loomed as the Panthers’ clear-cut Ekwonu stopgap piece. The 25-year-old blocker, however, was arrested on a gun-related charge in January. A potential suspension certainly could have impacted his market, and he may need to try again in 2027. The Freeling pick certainly points to Walker, as Adam noted, being a one-year Panther.
The Freeling selection could make Walker a trade chip as well. All of Freeling’s Bulldogs starts came at left tackle, separating him from most of the top tackles in this year’s class (as Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa and Blake Miller primarily played RT in college). Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board ranked Freeling 22nd in this class, slotting Proctor 24th and Lomu 30th. Miami chose Proctor at No. 12, narrowing Carolina’s focus at the position.
Carolina’s Freeling pick also signals Ekwonu may be on the move as a 2027 free agent. Stopping the Panthers’ yearslong carousel at left tackle as the No. 6 overall pick in 2022, Ekwonu expressed interest in an extension last year. In December, a report indicated a 2026 extension for the NC State product would be a Panther priority. Unfortunately for the previously durable blocker, a patellar tendon tear sustained in the wild-card round represents bad timing. Ekwonu, 25, will likely need to display good form coming off the major knee injury. And the Panthers will be developing a cheaper option while he does so.
It could be possible for the Panthers to retain both Ekwonu and Freeling beyond 2026. Moton is entering an age-32 season, and no guaranteed money remains on the 10th-year RT’s deal beyond this year. Freeling being a long-term RT option, with Ekwonu eventually returning to the blind side, may be a path the team considers. For now, though, the Panthers have an interesting setup at tackle. While Walker and Moton figure to start the season at those spots, Carolina’s 2027 configuration figures to look different.
Patriots Preparing Caleb Lomu To Play RT
For the second straight year, the Patriots used a first-round pick on an offensive tackle. While 2026 first rounder Caleb Lomu exclusively played LT in college, he won’t be replacing 2025 first rounder Will Campbell at the position.
[RELATED: Patriots Acquire No. 28 From Bills, Draft T Caleb Lomu]
While SI.com’s Albert Breer acknowledges that Lomu provides New England with some insurance should Campbell continue to struggle at LT, the reporter says the team’s plan is to prepare their rookie to “get his work in” at RT.
After returning from a late-season knee injury, Campbell struggled mightily while protecting Drake Maye, culminating in the QB suffering a league-leading 21 sacks in the postseason. While the fourth-overall pick’s struggles were apparent, he performed much better during the regular season, allowing only a 6.3% pressure rate on passing plays (good for the 12th-best percentage among offensive tackles, per PFF). So, it didn’t come as much of a surprise when coach Mike Vrabel gave Campbell a vote of confidence as the team’s LT moving forward, although New England’s recent selection of Lomu did raise some eyebrows.
The Utah product made a name for himself following strong performances at left tackle in 2024 and 2025. The six-foot-six blocker earned first-team All-Big 12 honors this past season while establishing himself among the top tier of OT prospects. Lomu ended up being the last OT to hear their name called during Round 1, with Patriots de facto GM Eliot Wolf admitting that the lineman’s unexpected fall down the draft board forced the organization’s hand.
While Lomu obviously has the experience to be the team’s LT, they’ll instead prepare him to take over on the other side of the line. Morgan Moses is currently penciled in for that spot following a strong first season in New England. The 35-year-old finished 24th among 84 qualifying OTs, per PFF, with the site crediting the veteran with only a pair of sacks allowed and 29 pressures. While Moses is signed through the 2027 campaign, the front office can easily bail on the contract next offseason. That would seem to indicate that Lomu will spend his rookie campaign as a backup before getting a chance to start in 2027.
Before the Patriots opted for an offensive lineman, the team considered several other positions with their first-round selection. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots looked at edge rushers and wide receivers with the pick. The team’s need for some pass-rush help isn’t a surprise, but it is notable that they were eyeing wideouts, especially considering New England’s pursuit of Eagles WR A.J. Brown. Fowler says the team would have been tempted by KC Concepcion had he slipped by the Browns.
Patriots Acquire No. 28 From Bills, Draft T Caleb Lomu
This draft has not let down on a reported run of offensive linemen. After trading back a second time, the Bills cleared the way for the Patriots to add a tackle.
Buffalo sent No. 28 to New England in exchange for Nos. 31 and 125 (via ESPN’s Field Yates); the Patriots are drafting Utah’s Caleb Lomu. Primarily a left tackle for the Utes, Lomu figures to draw consideration for right-side work as a Patriot.
De facto GM Eliot Wolf confirmed as much Thursday night, via MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian. Wolf reiterated 2025 No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell is New England’s left tackle. Rumblings about a potential move to guard surfaced at multiple points last year, but the Patriots have shut that down thus far. Lomu now profiles as a likely successor/immediate challenger to Morgan Moses‘ RT gig.
The Pats scheduled a “30” visit with Lomu but canceled it, per Wolf, because they did not expect him to be on the board when their pick arrived (via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed). The Pats moved up three spots to make sure they landed the 6-foot-6 blocker, who joined Spencer Fano (No. 9 overall — to the Browns) among the Utes’ first-round tackle tandem.
Wolf said (via Kyed) the Patriots viewed a drop-off at the tackle spot after Lomu. This aligns with recent reports that anticipated a mid-first-round run at the tackle position. We ended up seeing nine offensive linemen (seven of them tackles) go off the board Thursday. Lomu was the last member of that octet to be drafted, but he will join a defending conference champion and profiles as a long-term Campbell bookend partner.
Lomu made 10 pre-draft visits, joining Fano as a much-investigated blocker from the Big 12 program. Lomu redshirted in 2023 but earned Utah’s LT starting role in 2024, serving in that capacity during his final two college seasons. Earning first-team All-Big 12 acclaim last season, Lomu established himself as a first-round-caliber talent.
Two years remain on Moses’ three-year, $24MM contract, but the 13th-year vet is entering an age-35 season. The Patriots can move on from Moses and save $9MM in 2027. Our Ben Levine predicted (via PFR’s Patriots Offseason Outlook post) Moses’ 2026 roster spot was probably safe but anticipated tackle depth — at the very least — being sought. Lomu is a lot more than depth, and it would surprise if he is not asked to start by 2027 — if not sooner.
Browns Could Prioritize T Over WR In First Round
APRIL 16: Moving down from No. 6 remains a possibility to watch for in the Browns’ case, Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports writes. In any event, he adds that Fano in particular is a prospect viewed as one Cleveland believes can handle left tackle duties at the NFL level. It will be interesting to see how the Browns proceed along the offensive line in general and with respect to Fano in particular on Day 1 of the draft.
APRIL 11: The draft needs in Cleveland are fairly obvious, and though they can’t address all of them in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, they can address two. Early reports seem to indicate that wide receiver and offensive tackle are the biggest priorities for the Browns heading into the draft, but which position will they address with their sixth overall pick, and which will have to wait for pick No. 24?
Now, Cleveland didn’t lose anybody from its 2025 receiving corps, but the group from last year underperformed to a point that it can be considered a position of need. Additionally, there are only two players in the room not playing on contract years in 2026, and those players are only under contract for one more year than their corpsman. If the Browns are going to begin rebuilding the room around a new, young pair of hands, now would be an ideal time.
The situation on the offensive line is almost the opposite. With all five starters hitting the free agent market this offseason, Cleveland has been working to rebuild its line after the teardown. The team utilized free agency to bring in guard Zion Johnson and center Elgton Jenkins and traded for former Texans tackle Tytus Howard. It seems the door is open for guard Joel Bitonio to return, if he decides not to retire, but if he does, the Browns re-signed Teven Jenkins, who has plenty of starting experience at guard. The other tackle spot is currently being manned by Dawand Jones, the former fourth-round pick who’s started 20 games in his first three seasons.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, there’s belief that a vast need for quality linemen and a large number of talented prospects could lead to a run on offensive tackles in the first round. At the same time, it’s believed that only two wide receivers could end up going in the top half of the draft, with the eventual WR3 projected to go anywhere from pick Nos. 16-19. Because of this, it would make much more sense for the Browns to address their offensive tackle need than their receiver need.
Locking down the draft’s top receiver — likely Ohio State’s Carnell Tate — would certainly be a great addition to the offense, but it would mean missing out on most of the class’s top tackle prospects if a run takes place. Locking down a top available tackle would mean missing out on Tate, and perhaps Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon, but there are several impact options that make perfect sense in the late-first or early-second round. It could be the difference of having Tate and choosing between Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor, Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan, or Memphis’ Travis Burke or having one of Utah’s Spencer Fano, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, Georgia’s Monroe Freeling, or Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor then getting your pick of Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., Washington’s Denzel Boston, Alabama’s Germie Bernard, and Louisville’s Chris Bell.
An interesting additional factor to this situation is the reporting that the Browns have been shopping out their current draft slots in the hope of bringing in more Day 2 draft capital; they seemingly are willing to move down from either the sixth or 24th picks, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. That could explain the depth at which Cleveland has been researching top offensive tackle prospects, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. The team hosted Utah’s other tackle, Caleb Lomu, two days ago, per Jackson McCurry of The Dawg Land podcast, and ESPN’s Jordan Reid was “shocked’ to hear that the Browns reportedly like Proctor at No. 6.
In theory, both could be trade down targets. Proctor has routinely found himself ranked behind the likes of Mauigoa and Fano throughout the draft process, and even more recently, Freeling and, in some cases, Clemson’s Blake Miller have snuck by him in the eyes of draft pundits, as well.
Perhaps, the Browns are not interested in selecting Proctor at No. 6 overall but, instead, interested in trading back to a place in the first round in which they may still be able to walk away with Proctor — or, if there’s a serious run at the position, Lomu — while adding some picks in the process. With the depth of wide receivers listed above, they could easily attempt to do the same at that position, if they feel their preferred option may be a reach at No. 24.
The Browns’ toss up in priorities between tackle and wide receiver alone make it impossible to predict who their top overall pick will be. Adding in the potential for a run or drought at either position or a Browns’ trade down from either spot makes even speculation a wild goose chase. It seems the Browns are making plans for a number of contingencies, but it looks like offensive tackle and wide receiver — whatever the order — remain the top priorities 12 days out.
T Caleb Lomu Completes 10-Visit Itinerary
Wednesday marks the final opportunity for teams to conduct “30” visits, and the 49ers received the latest meeting with Utah’s Caleb Lomu. While San Francisco met with the Utah tackle Tuesday night, many other teams brought in the first-round talent during the pre-draft process.
We covered Lomu’s Browns and Eagles meetings, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms the college LT also met with the Bears, Chiefs, Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, Rams and Texans. One of several tackles viewed as first-round options, Lomu checks in as a blindside option (well, for everyone but the Falcons) compared to some of this class’ other top targets — who have played right tackle and been linked to potential guard shifts.
A two-year LT starter at Utah, Lomu earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025. He did not allow a sack last year, per Dane Brugler of The Athletic. The 6-foot-6 blocker joins Spencer Fano as ex-Utes projected to be first-round picks. Lomu did not dabble in RT work, making all 24 of his collegiate starts on the left side while Fano manned the RT post. Lomu checks in 26th on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board, sitting behind Francis Mauigoa (10th), Fano (13th), Blake Miller (19th), Monroe Freeling (20th) and Kadyn Proctor (22nd) among tackles.
The Chiefs continue to be connected to tackles — on both sides, as their Trent Williams ties remind — and the team is at least considering using a high draft choice to replace the since-released Jawaan Taylor (now a Falcon). Jaylon Moore remains an option in K.C., which has 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons tentatively slated to continue starting at LT. Kansas City holds the Nos. 9 and 29 overall picks.
The Rams, who traded No. 29 to the Chiefs, sit at No. 13. They have Alaric Jackson at LT and Warren McClendon slated to succeed Rob Havenstein at RT. The Lions (No. 17) are in need — most likely at right tackle — after Taylor Decker‘s release, a move likely set to precede Penei Sewell sliding to LT. The Panthers (No. 19) signed Rasheed Walker as an Ikem Ekwonu stopgap; RT Taylor Moton‘s 2025 extension runs through 2027. Ozzy Trapilo is expected to miss most of the 2026 season following a patellar tendon tear, though the Bears re-signed Braxton Jones to compete with Theo Benedet — as of now, at least — at LT.
Miami (No. 11) rosters Patrick Paul but has Austin Jackson in a contract year; the veteran RT accepted a pay cut last month. Houston has struggled up front for a bit and has been connected to further bolstering its group via the draft. The Texans traded up for Aireontae Ersery last year and signed Braden Smith at right tackle (as 2024 second-rounder Blake Fisher has been unable to commandeer that gig).
Lastly, the 49ers are at least in need of a possible long-term LT solution. They continue to negotiate with Williams, who is heading into an age-38 season and the final year of his reworked contract. Colton McKivitz is going into a fourth season as San Francisco’s right tackle.
Utah LT Caleb Lomu Visits Eagles
With the Eagles primed to pursue offensive help early in this year’s draft, addressing the line is likely on general manager Howie Roseman‘s to-do list. To no surprise, the Eagles are eyeing one of this year’s top offensive tackle prospects, Utah’s Caleb Lomu. The 6-foot-6, 313-pounder visited Philadelphia this week, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.
Lomu may be on the Eagles’ radar at No. 23 overall, but he would not be a plug-and-play option for the club. The Eagles have a pair of established tackles in Jordan Mailata on the left side and franchise legend Lane Johnson on the right. But the Eagles have to prepare for life after Johnson, who contemplated retirement before committing to at least one more season in late February.
Johnson is heading into his age-36 campaign, which will be the 13-year veteran’s first season without offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. The revered Stoutland did not stick around after the Eagles hired new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Chris Kuper faces the unenviable task of following Stoutland. It could be up to Kuper to mold Lomu and/or other rookies in 2026.
The 29-year-old Mailata is under contract for three more seasons. That suggests the Eagles are not going to spend a high pick on a tackle unless they are confident the prospect will be able to handle the right side. That is something they will have to determine regarding Lomu, who only played on the left at Utah. He and fellow potential first-rounder Spencer Fano were the Utes’ bookends.
A two-year starter at Utah, Lomu earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025. He did not allow a sack last year, per Dane Brugler of The Athletic. Both Brugler (No. 25) and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com (No. 26) consider Lomu a top-30 prospect, which is right in the Eagles’ wheelhouse in the first round. He could end up as the team’s heir apparent to Johnson.