Patriots Trade Up, Take Utah Tackle in Round 1 of the NFL Draft
Patriots Trade Up for Utah Tackle Caleb Lomu, Bolstering Offensive Line in NFL Draft's First Round
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Posted Under: 2026 Patriots Draft
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For the second-straight draft, the Patriots used their first round selection on an offensive tackle.
On Thursday night, with offensive tackles coming off the board, New England got aggressive and made a trade with the Buffalo Bills to move up to 28th overall, swapping the 31st overall pick and pick 125 (Round 4) with Buffalo in order to select Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu.
Lomu is a big player, coming in at 6’6″, 308 pounds, and played a total of 25 games at Utah, including 22 starts, with Lomu earning Big 12 All-Conference First Team honors in 2025.
He played mostly on the left side, but he’s expected to potentially be in the mix to replace Morgan Moses on the right side, which gives them flexibility at both spots, given his experience.
His addition comes at a key time for a Patriots team that is in need of someone to anchor the line opposite last year’s first-round pick, Will Campbell. Heading into Thursday night, they lacked quality depth at tackle, having lost Vederian Lowe to free agency, along with not bringing back Thayer Munford.
It’s already been a busy offseason as the club began making changes up front to try to better protect Drake Maye. The shuffle started when the Patriots traded center Garrett Bradbury, which signaled that Jared Wilson is expected to take over at center next season. Offseason acquisition Alijah Vera-Tucker is expected to take over at left guard, although Tucker’s health history still leaves them with some questions.
For now, bringing in someone like Lomu should set them up for a solid future on the right side, with both Marcus Bryant, offseason free agent addition James Hudson, and Caedan Wallace also likely among players who will be competing for a role up front later this summer.
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