The Patriots had a glaring need at offensive tackle, a premium position, and were able to land one of the top seven in this draft class with their first pick. The expectation in Foxboro was that they’d be out of luck on the tackle front, so kudos to them for trading up to get the last tackle standing.
A 21-year-old with room to grow — both physically and as a finisher — Lomu will need some time to develop, but he’ll get exactly that with Morgan Moses and Will Campbell projected to start.
Had the Patriots lucked into Clemson’s Blake Miller or Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor, this would be a straight “A,” but Lomu’s rare physical skill set and the scarcity of the position he plays makes this about as ideal a pick as New England could’ve made with the way the board fell.