New England Patriots select offensive tackle Caleb Lomu from Utah Utes in first round of NFL Draft
The New England Patriots have selected offensive tackle Caleb Lomu from the Utah Utes in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The 21-year-old weighs in at around 313 lbs and stands at a whopping 6'6". He's played two seasons with Utah, totaling around 27 games and starting in 24 of them.
The Patriots' offensive line struggled to protect quarterback Drake Maye in the 2025-26 playoffs. This pick aims to fix that problem with Lomu not allowing a sack last season.
"Drake Maye is such a talented quarterback. I'm so excited to be able to work with him every day," Lomu said following the draft. "I'm going to do everything that I can to protect him."
Lomu told reporters he loves Vrabel after speaking with him in meetings.
"He started asking me questions, was getting on me a little bit. Right after he was all smiles, he came up to me, shook my hand, and said 'Really good job,'" Lomu said. "I loved it, he was a very serious guy, and he's an amazing coach, and I can't wait to be able to play for him."
He explained that the Patriots are the exact type of team he wants to be on.
"A competitive team that's willing to work and take that extra step and get that far into the season," Lomu said. "I'm excited to get there and get to work and get the whole thing rolling."
The Patriots traded their No. 31 pick and No. 125 with the Buffalo Bills for a No. 28 pick.
Mike Vrabel addresses media after new photos with Diana Russini
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke to reporters around 7:30 p.m. Thursday night after new photos with reporter Dianna Russini surfaced. While he did not address his relationship with the reporter or the photographs, he did say that "my previous actions don't meet the standard that I hold myself to."
"I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about, my family, this football team, the organization, and our fans," Vrabel said.
This was the second press conference in several days regarding the situation with Russini. On Tuesday, he said he was having "difficult conversations" with the people he cared about and did not address Russini or the ongoing situation.
The first photos posted of the two were released by the New York Post on April 7, showing them at the Ambiente Hotel in Sedona, Arizona, in late March. Then, on Thursday, the Post released new photos showing Vrabel and Russini together at a bar in New York City from 2020. Vrabel was still the coach of the Tennessee Titans, and Russini worked with ESPN. TMZ also released a photo on Thursday showing the pair at a casino in 2024.
An NFL spokesperson said that the league isn't looking into the matter, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN that the situation does not fall under the personal conduct policy.
Russini has since resigned from her job as an NFL insider for The Athletic.
