Charlie Campbell
Solid Starter
Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah – Round 1 
The Patriots have one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Drake Maye, and New England wisely continued to build around him, their first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Late in the first round, the Patriots were able to add a starting-caliber tackle in Lomu, who could end up being a solid starter for them early in his rookie contract.
While Spencer Fano got more media attention, the Utah Utes trusted Lomu to be the blind side protector of their quarterback. In the passing-driven NFL, Lomu has good athleticism to be an asset as a pass protector. Lomu is a capable pass blocker to neutralize speed rushers around the corner. Lomu is a natural pass blocker who has quick feet that allow him to get depth in his drop and neutralize speed rushers. He is quick out of stance and reacts immediately to cut off the corner and prevent them from running the loop around the edge. With his quick feet and an ability to bend at the knee, Lomu doesn’t have to reach after rushers and is not a waist bender. With impressive awareness and reaction skills, Lomu reacts quickly to handle stunts and games from the defensive line. He reacts very well to rushes to the inside and shows impressive balance. As a pass blocker, Lomu does a nice job of maintaining his blocks and sustaining using his hands and length well to stay engaged on defenders. Lomu uses his athletic ability well and stays in front of defenders. For the NFL, Lomu could be a very valuable starting left tackle to protect his quarterback against edge rushers.
As a run blocker, Lomu is not a bull in the ground game. He is not overly strong or physical to blast defenders off the ball and ride them around the field. Lomu has a good mentality as he looks to hit and get after defenders, but Lomu needs to get stronger to create movement in the ground game at the pro level. While he is not as powerful as a run blocker, he shows the athleticism and mobility to execute zone runs. Utah’s scheme did not have him fire off and run a lot of power man, so that will need development for the NFL. Right now, Lomu would be better off in a zone-blocking system to use his athleticism due to not packing a serious punch at the point of attack.
There are some raw elements to Lomu that need development. Lomu can stop bull rushes, but he needs to add more weight and strength to handle the power rushers in the NFL. His footwork can be inconsistent. He needs to get stronger to improve his power in the ground game and his ability to sustain blocks as a run blocker.
The Patriots have veteran Morgan Moses in place to start at right tackle in 2026, but in a year Lomu should join Will Campbell as the bookend tackles to protect Maye. Lomu gives the Patriots flexibility with being able to play left tackle or move to right tackle in the NFL. With their starting tackles and quarterback on cheap rookie contracts, New England could spend heavily elsewhere on the roster. During his rookie contract, Lomu should be a solid starter for the Patriots.
2025: TreVeyon Henderson, RB
2024: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR
2023: Keion White, DE
2022: Cole Strange, G
2021: Mac Jones, QB
2020: Anfernee Jennings, LB
2019: N’Keal Harry, WR
2018: Isaiah Wynn, OL
2017: Derek Rivers, DE
2016: Jon Thuney, G
2015: Tre Jackson, G
2014: Jon Halapio, G
2013: Logan Ryan, CB
Most Likely To Bust
NONEThe Patriots had three solid selections on the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft. I don’t see a player with real bust potential in Caleb Lomu, Gabe Jacas, or Eli Raridon.
2025: Kyle Williams, WR
2024: Caeden Wallace, OT
2023: Marte Mapu, LB
2022: Tyquan Thornton, WR
2021: Christian Barmore, DT
2020: Devin Asiasi, TE
2019: Yodney Cajuste, OT
2018: Ja’waun Bentley, LB
2017: Deatrich Wise, DE
2016: Cyrus Jones, CB
2015: Jordan Richards, S
2014: Bryan Stork, C
2013: Duron Harmon, S
Potential Boom Pick
Gabe Jacas, DE, Illinois – Round 2 
The Patriots took advantage of a deep class of edge rush talent and landed an excellent value in Jacas. Over the past two seasons, Jacas has been the best for the Illini. Jacas was tremendous in 2024 with 74 tackles, eight sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, and three forced fumbles. In 2025, Jacas was one of the top pass rushers in college football with 11 sacks to go along with 13.5 tackles for a loss, 43 tackles, and three forced fumbles. While Jacas was not a workout warrior, he is known as a leader who loves football.
In the pass rush, Jacas is a tenacious beast who is a power rusher who plays with violence and non-stop physicality. He is a strong rusher who really works offensive tackles with an intense bull rush and tremendous power rip move. He uses that power to gain leverage and charges through the pocket with chaos. Jacas has great instincts to go for the strip, and his six forced fumbles over the past two seasons are no accident. With good strength to shed blocks, Jacas is dangerous on second efforts, and he never quits on a rush, playing hard through the whistle. Some hip stiffness and a lack of pure speed are the factors that keep Jacas from being a first-round pick.
In the ground game, Jacas is very good. He is physical and strong at the point of attack to lock down the C-gap. Jacas holds his ground against downhill runs and shows the ability to shed blocks to pursue out of his gap. With his power and physicality, Jacas wears out tight ends and makes plays miserable for them. As a pro, he should be an asset as a run defender and a capable pass rusher.
I think Jacas could end up being a second-round steal for the Patriots. It would not surprise me if he is an overachiever and becomes an excellent pro. I think Jacas has boom pick potential for New England.
2025: Will Campbell, OT
2024: Drake Maye, WR
2023: Christian Gonzalez, CB
2022: None
2021: None
2020: Kyle Dugger, S
2019: Joejuan Williams, CB
2018: Sony Michel, RB
2017: Antonio Garcia, OT
2016: Malcolm Mitchell, WR
2015: Malcom Brown, DT
2014: Dominique Easley, DE
2013: Jamie Collins, LB
Future Depth Player
Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame – Round 3 
The Patriots grabbed a sleeper tight end who could turn into a nice value pick in Raridon in the third round. Raridon is a massive tight end with size and strength to block while being an underrated receiver. He was a nice weapon for C.J. Carr in 2025, showing mismatch size and some run-after-the-catch ability. In the NFL, he could be a starting Y tight end who contributes to the blocking scheme with some receiving ability. Raridon would be an excellent tight end to pair with a receiving tight end at the F. Raridon can learn behind Hunter Henry, but could develop into a solid contributor. Even if Raridon doesn’t become a three-down starter, he should be a good No. 2 and rotational tight end.
2025: Josh Farmer, DT
2024: Layden Robinson, G
2023: Kayshon Boutte, WR
2022: Marcus Jones, CB
2021: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB
2020: Dalton Keene, TE
2019: Damien Harris, RB
2018: Braxton Berrios, WR
2017: Conor McDermott, OT
2016: Jacoby Brissett, QB
2015: Trey Flowers, DE
2014: Cameron Fleming, OT
2013: Aaron Dobson, WR
Walt
