For the second season in a row, the New England Patriots used their first-round pick on a left tackle, this time taking Caleb Lomu. Now, they’ll have to find a way to work him into the offense.
The general expectation is that the Patriots will move Lomu to right tackle, prepping him to eventually take over for Morgan Moses. However, as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels noted recently, it’s not the easiest position change to make.
“That’s a different challenge,” Josh McDaniels said. “You come in and you’re used to playing in one spot. When you play offensive line in the National Football League as a young player, a lot of times that is your responsibility. It’s to learn a whole bunch of different roles. Language is different on one side than the other. Certainly technique and fundamentals are a little different just because you’re working on different sides of the football.”
While at Utah, Lomu only played left tackle. He did it well, too, starting every game in 2024 and 2025 at left tackle, while earning All-Big 12 honors in 2025. He’s young, though, having left college as a redshirt sophomore.
In all of that, McDaniels still sees plenty of reason to love what Lomu is bringing to the Patriots. It’s just going to keep taking more work for the rookie.
“Great attitude, awesome kid,” McDaniels said. “Love his personality. He practices his butt off every day. He’s a sponge. Again, we’ve done a tremendous job of bringing in a bunch of guys that just wanna learn, and try to get better, and work hard. So, Caleb’s at the head of the class in terms of the rookies for us.”
That’s also in line with what Mike Vrabel has recently said about Lomu. In particular, how coachable he’s been early in his time with the Patriots.
“He’s been an unbelievably coachable player,” Vrabel previously said. “He’s young, he’s big, he’s athletic, and he’s willing to learn. He’s excited about learning… He’s gonna have the ability to play both sides… He’ll be on the right today.”
The New England Patriots Want Caleb Lomu’s Position Change to Work
GettyNew England Patriots first-round pick Caleb Lomu
In an ideal world where there are no injuries, the New England Patriots will be able to start Will Campbell at left tackle and Morgan Moses at right tackle in 2026. Then, Caleb Lomu will act as a kind of sixth offensive lineman, giving players snaps off and helping out when needed while he adjusts to the NFL. Then, when the time comes, he will replace Moses.
That gives the Patriots plenty of reason to want to make this work out. However, there are also a few different ways it could go wrong. Either Lomu can struggle to adjust to the position change, or Campbell can struggle the way he did in the postseason a year ago at left tackle.
If Campbell continues to struggle, Lomu can enter at his natural left tackle position. Then, Campbell would likely be kicked inside. However, there’d still be a gap the Patriots would need to fill at right tackle.
In other words, how the Patriots plan to operate on the offensive line for years to come is riding on its two young tackles this season, and their continued development.
There are Concerns About Will Campbell at Left Tackle for the Patriots
GettyNew England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell
The Patriots used the No. 4 overall pick in 2025 on Will Campbell. That’s a slot where the expectation is that he is able to play left tackle at a high level for years to come.
However, there were some immediate concerns in Campbell’s rookie season. From the start, Campbell was criticized for his arm length, which is considered short by NFL left tackle standards. Then, following a knee injury, Campbell returned but struggled mightily on the field, and the criticism of his play only grew.
Some even think he should already be getting moved to guard. Campbell recently drew a comparison from Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald to Tyler Smith of the Dallas Cowboys. Smith also moved inside after coming into the league at left tackle.
Despite that, the Patriots have stood by Campbell. Early in the offseason, EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf said, “But before that, I thought Will played really well out here. I know everyone talks about the arm length, but he has a set of skills that enable him to play with that arm length. He’s really quick out of his stance. He’s technically sound. He’s adding more and more different pass sets to his tool bag that he can use to combat different rushes. And again, he’s 22 years old, and we expect some improvement out of him as well.”
In other words, the Patriots are giving Campbell some runway to be the team’s left tackle. So, Lomu’s most direct route onto the field is going to come over at right tackle.
Patriots OC Josh McDaniels on Caleb Lomu, Position Change