Pro Football Rumors
Patriots first-round pick Caleb Lomu is expected to operate as their swing tackle during his rookie season, but he may also see time along the interior of the offensive line. In addition to playing both tackle positions, Lomu lined up at guard during spring workouts, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Lomu has impressed head coach Mike Vrabel, who said: “I love the versatility. He learns quickly [and] usually doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”
Lomu, the 28th overall pick, joined the Patriots after a two-year run as the starting left tackle at Utah. He played over 1,600 snaps with the Utes, but none came at guard. However, with the Patriots in the market for guard depth to join backups Ben Brown and Caedan Wallace, they are in position to give Lomu a look there.
The Patriots handed former Jet Alijah Vera-Tucker a three-year, $42MM deal in free agency to take over at left guard, but injuries have undermined him throughout his career. He played just 43 of a possible 85 games from 2021-25. In the event he goes down again, Lomu could be an option if he looks capable of handling the role. Unlike Vera-Tucker, durability has not been a problem for right guard Michael Onwenu, who has missed a mere three games in his six-year career. He notched his second straight 17-start season in 2025.
While the 6-foot-6, 313-pound Lomu has gotten some work on the inside, he will initially back up left tackle Will Campbell and RT Morgan Moses. Lomu will be in line to take over for Moses by 2027 if the Patriots part with the soon-to-be 36-year-old next offseason. Moses is under contract through ’27 on a three-year, $24MM pact, but the deal has no guaranteed money left after this season. Releasing or trading Moses then would save $9MM in cap room against just $1.4MM in dead money.
Turning to the backfield, the Patriots added former UCF running back Myles Montgomery as part of their 12-player undrafted class in May. There were no financial details at the time, but it turns out Montgomery signed for the most guarantees ($272,500) of any of the team’s UDFAs, Reiss reports. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are locked in as the Pats’ one-two punch, but Montgomery believes he has a chance to beat out Terrell Jennings, 2025 UDFA Lan Larison and rookie seventh-rounder Jam Miller for the No. 3 job. Montgomery, who clocked in at 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash, ran for 1,546 yards and 11 touchdowns on 274 attempts (5.6 YPC) during a 41-game college career divided between UCF and Cincinnati.
In another note on New England’s depth, Mike Brown is the favorite for the No. 3 safety spot behind Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson, Reiss relays. A former Brown and Titan, Brown signed a minimum deal with the Patriots in free agency. The move reunited Brown with Vrabel, who was his coach in Tennessee in 2023. Brown has not factored in much defensively during his four-year career,...
