When the New England Patriots drafted Caleb Lomu in the first round of the NFL Draft, the plan was clear. He’d act as a sixth offensive lineman for a season, learn right tackle behind Morgan Moses, and eventually replace Moses. If need be, he could even slot in at left tackle if Will Campbell needed to move to guard.
Then, in early August, there were suggestions that the Patriots could move Lomu to guard. That hasn’t happened to this point in Training Camp, but on Monday head coach Mike Vrabel suggested again that Lomu may be kicking inside sooner rather than later.
“Yeah, you certainly could,” Mike Vrabel said. “I think we just, what happens is, where do you feel like he can make the most strides, and you don’t want to derail the improvement that he’s making and some of those things. And so I’m probably much like you guys and say, ‘Hey, that it’s not that big of a deal to go from tackle to guard.’ I’ve got a lot of coaches that probably think differently than what you guys and maybe me think, and that it’s a little bigger deal, but I think Caleb’s been working hard.”
Lomu is still young. At 21 years old, he played three college seasons, including two where he was a standout left tackle for Utah. That’s a decent amount of experience on the field, but it still makes him very young by NFL standards. In particular, NFL standards at such a physical position, like offensive line. So, his development remains the most important thing to the Patriots.
“He’s been trying to improve, but I think at some point we will need to do that as well, and that’s just trying to be fair to the kid and the player as he’s developing and learning this game and this league, and then at some point in time probably have to take a look in there,” Vrabel said.
New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Suggested Caleb Lomu Could Move in the Past
GettyNew England Patriots first round draft pick Caleb Lomu shared that he’s open to changing positions.
The idea that Caleb Lomu could help the New England Patriots at multiple positions is far from a new one. Most people expected him to contribute at tackle on both sides of the ball. In particular, if there was an injury. Then, he could also act as a sixth offensive lineman when the situation called for it.
However, it was Mike Vrabel himself who seemed to first suggest that guard was an option for Lomu. That came as it became clear that there were so many issues for the Patriots along the interior of the offensive line.
“There will be a time when you guys see Caleb work in there,” Vrabel said in early August. “So, just looking to find the best combination of guys for the season. So, I think we’re okay. I think the depth can always be better at every position. Just continue to build competition and finding the right mix of guys that are going to help us this year.”
At that time, Vrabel also pointed out that James Hudson could make a similar transition. This would help create opportunities for tackles while addressing those depth concerns.
The Patriots Have Depth Concerns at Guard
GettyNew England Patriots offensive lineman Ben Brown
Even before the Patriots played a preseason game, there were concerns about depth. Now, they also have a series of injuries that they’re going to need to deal with.
Ben Brown, an interior offensive lineman, went down with an injury that’s going to cost him multiple weeks. Andrew Rupcich also went down, needing to go on Injured Reserve.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise then that the Patriots have been actively adding more offensive linemen to try and fill those gaps in the lead-up to the regular season. They added Darrian Dalcourt and Joe Michalski on Saturday. Then, on Monday, the Patriots again added veteran guard Greg Van Roten.
Clearly, finding the right group up front is a major focus for the Patriots right now. They’ll have just two more preseason games to get that rotation correct.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Shares Latest Update on Caleb Lomu Moving to Guard