Utah's Caleb Lomu Dubbed Drake Maye's Protector After Joining Patriots

The final rounds of the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh take place on Saturday, April 25, and then, the event will be over.

As the event wraps up, all eyes are still on the first-round selections. When it comes to the New England Patriots, they’re getting mixed reviews for their first-round choice.

The Patriots had a switch to snag the No. 28 pick in the draft. Now, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today has released his grades for the first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft.

“The action in Pittsburgh got off to a predictable start with Fernando Mendoza’s coronation as the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders,” he states. “It didn’t take much longer, however, for the prevailing pre-draft wisdom to fall apart.”

The Patriots took offensive tackle Caleb Lomu at No. 28, and he was lukewarm about this pick and gave it a B-.

“For the second year in a row, the Patriots prioritized protection for Drake Maye in the first round,” he states. “After things got dicey for Will Campbell down the stretch, New England has to be cognizant with how it deploys Lomu, who’s a promising pass protector but has plenty of work to do on the finer points of his position.”

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He adds, “He’s a natural left tackle, so there’s some question as to fit here after Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf insisted Will Campbell would stay put. The most reasonable route to the lineup could be eventually taking over for Morgan Moses at right tackle.”

Our Take on Caleb Lomu to the Patriots

So, Middlehurst-Schwartz isn’t hot on this idea, but one of the biggest needs for the Patriots, right now, is to protect Maye. It’s understandable why they would move mountains to get him protection in the form of a solid offensive tackle.

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Was Lumo the best available at the time? In a draft class rich with tackles, the argument could be made that the Patriots could have looked elsewhere, but Lomu is a promising pass protector, and with the right training, that’s exactly what the Pats need.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 12:58 PM.