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FOXBOROUGH, Mass — It's quite clear that Caleb Lomu, the New England Patriots' 2026 first-round pick, has impressed his head coach.
It was the second straight year the Patriots used their Round 1 pick on an offensive tackle, making it clear that protecting Drake Maye is the main focus for the future. So, with Will Campbell holding down the left side, Lomu is set to take over for Morgan Moses when the veteran decides to hang up his cleats.
So, with that, Vrabel had high praise for Lomu ahead of Wednesday's OTAs.
"And then Caleb, really learning the pro game, learning our system, and some of the things that you see in college is not that they can't do it; it's just that they're not being coached to do it," he began. "And there's a lot of different ways to coach football and what you believe. Some of the techniques are different, and I think he's really embraced those.
"He's been an unbelievably coachable player. He's young, he's big, he's athletic, and he's willing to learn. He's excited about learning. So, where he plays, we want to end up with the five best linemen. I think he's going to have the ability to play both sides."
As Vrabel confirmed before practice, Lomu spent time switching with Moses on the right side, taking snaps with the top group. However, until Moses is ready to quit or the coaching staff decides it's time, Lomu's role will likely be a swing tackle.
"We played 10 linemen last year. We're going to have to have five good ones that can protect Drake [Maye], as well as a swing tackle," the head coach explained. "We're going to have to have somebody that goes inside, and then we're going to have to have somebody that pulls it as the backup center.
The ceiling is clearly high for the rookie out of Utah.
"I'm excited about where he's at," Vrabel said. "Where he's going to eventually be, I don't think I can answer that right now."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots HC Mike Vrabel praises Caleb Lomu’s versatility, coachability
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It was the second straight year the Patriots used their Round 1 pick on an offensive tackle, making it clear that protecting Drake Maye is the main focus for the future. So, with Will Campbell holding down the left side, Lomu is set to take over for Morgan Moses when the veteran decides to hang up his cleats.
So, with that, Vrabel had high praise for Lomu ahead of Wednesday's OTAs.
"And then Caleb, really learning the pro game, learning our system, and some of the things that you see in college is not that they can't do it; it's just that they're not being coached to do it," he began. "And there's a lot of different ways to coach football and what you believe. Some of the techniques are different, and I think he's really embraced those.
"He's been an unbelievably coachable player. He's young, he's big, he's athletic, and he's willing to learn. He's excited about learning. So, where he plays, we want to end up with the five best linemen. I think he's going to have the ability to play both sides."
As Vrabel confirmed before practice, Lomu spent time switching with Moses on the right side, taking snaps with the top group. However, until Moses is ready to quit or the coaching staff decides it's time, Lomu's role will likely be a swing tackle.
"We played 10 linemen last year. We're going to have to have five good ones that can protect Drake [Maye], as well as a swing tackle," the head coach explained. "We're going to have to have somebody that goes inside, and then we're going to have to have somebody that pulls it as the backup center.
The ceiling is clearly high for the rookie out of Utah.
"I'm excited about where he's at," Vrabel said. "Where he's going to eventually be, I don't think I can answer that right now."
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots HC Mike Vrabel praises Caleb Lomu’s versatility, coachability
Continue reading...
