{"id":873950,"date":"2026-04-25T00:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T00:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/873950\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T00:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T00:39:55","slug":"eliot-wolf-patriots-were-surprised-caleb-lomu-was-still-available","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/873950\/","title":{"rendered":"Eliot Wolf: Patriots were surprised Caleb Lomu was still available"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNew England Patriots\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t“We actually canceled his 30-visit because we didn’t \u2014 we had one scheduled and we just didn’t think he was going to factor in for us.”<\/p>\n

\"Eliot
\n\tEliot Wolf and the Patriots traded up in the first round on Thursday. (AP Photo\/Charles Krupa)\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Conor Ryan<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 24, 2026 | 6:55 AM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

2 minutes to read<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not often that the Patriots<\/a> make the call to trade up in the first round of an NFL Draft \u2014 especially as a result of swapping picks with an AFC East rival like the Bills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But such was the case late Thursday night, with New England \u2014 originally set to pick 31st overall in the first round \u2014 packaging that first-rounder and pick No. 125 to Buffalo in order to move up to No. 28.<\/p>\n

With that selection, New England bolstered its offensive line by selecting tackle Caleb Lomu out of the University of Utah.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters shortly after the pick was made<\/a>, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf expanded on why New England made the aggressive move to trade up a few spots in the first round.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally excited about this player,\u201d Wolf said of Lomu. \u201cHe\u2019s young, he\u2019s experienced, he\u2019s athletic, he\u2019s a great kid, and frankly, I was a little surprised that he was still available. And that\u2019s why we decided to move up a little bit. And we\u2019re excited to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the need for New England to bolster their tackle depth amid concerns over Will Campbell\u2019s postseason struggles and Morgan Moses\u2019s age (35), Wolf stressed that the Patriots felt as though there was a drop-off in tackle talent after Lomu in this draft class.<\/p>\n

Lomu was the seventh tackle taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

Even though Lomu fit a need for New England, the Patriots did not bring him in for a \u201c30-visit\u201d \u2014 a pre-draft meeting where teams can invite up to 30 prospects to their facilities for interviews, medical assessments, and more.\u200b<\/p>\n

Wolf was candid as to why New England didn\u2019t do that with Lomu.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe interviewed him at the Combine. That was great. We actually canceled his 30-visit because we didn\u2019t \u2013 we had one scheduled and we just didn\u2019t think he was going to factor in for us. We thought he\u2019d be gone,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cSo, his agent, Chase Callahan, wasn\u2019t too excited about that, but they understood, and here we are.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it\u2019s pretty exciting to be able to acquire him. But athletically, like some of the things at the pro day, the feet, the ability to play right tackle, and then obviously some of the zooms that we did with him where he showed the intelligence that we felt like he had some versatility and would be able to play more than one spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Lomu started at left tackle in Utah, Wolf expressed confidence that the 21-year-old offensive lineman can play right tackle as well, which could open the door for him to develop as Moses\u2019s eventual replacement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel like he has the athletic ability and talent to \u2014 obviously he has to come in and earn a role somewhere \u2014 but he has the athletic ability and talent and strength and upside to kind of play anywhere on the line,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cAnd again, we\u2019re just really thrilled.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig athletes like this are hard to come by, especially later in the first round like this. So, don\u2019t want to set him up for any wild comparisons or anything like that. But just really, really happy that we were able to acquire him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the Today newsletter<\/p>\n

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