FOXBORO — Caleb Lomu played left tackle in college. He’s been asked to play both left and right tackle with the New England Patriots. He’s also been mentioned as a player who could play guard.
The Patriots have kept their options open when it comes to their first round pick.
Lomu was at right tackle for most of training camp to this point, working with the second-string offense and sometimes replacing Morgan Moses in the starting offense. For the Patriots’ scrimmage on Friday and practice on Monday, he was back on the left side. It was clear he’s more comfortable on that side, but it’s still a work in progress to nail down both positions.
“It’s been good being able to learn both sides of the line just to understand the playbook a little bit more,” Lomu told reporters after the team’s 13th practice of the summer. “It’s a little bit difficult at first. It’s different footwork, different hand placement, going the opposite way on plays and from one side, but it’s been helping me a lot.
“Being able to get more playing time and just understanding the playbook a lot more.”
It’s been an up-and-down summer for the Utah rookie. Sometimes, he’s struggled in 1-on-1s and got beat almost immediately. Other times, like Monday, he was a perfect 3-0 against some of the Patriots’ quickest edge rushers.
The Patriots haven’t officially penciled him in to either side for the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts this week, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see him get snaps at both spots.
“It’s throwing with a different hand, kicking with a different foot,” Lomu continued. “But then, it’s just, you know, playing tackle – the position I’ve played my whole life. So a few kicks, few practices after that starts to feel a little bit more comfortable.”
So Lomu is getting comfortable at the tackle position, but what about guard? The Patriots’ depth at guard is thinning out, as the team recently traded away Caedan Wallace and might need to rely on veterans Ben Brown/Andrew Rupcich to hold down the fort as backups.
The Patriots haven’t ruled out the possibility of moving Lomu to guard, maybe not full time, but for a brief time to get his feet wet there.
“I mean, I think that there’s — whether we have injuries or things, but I think that guys are working in there,” Mike Vrabel said on Aug. 4. “James (Hudson) is getting some reps inside there, and there will be a time where you guys will see Caleb work in there. So, we’re just looking to find the best combination of guys for the season.”
Lomu’s start to his rookie season hasn’t been ideal from a pure win/loss standpoint. Sure, he’s getting his reps, but it’s not always the best result. According to Lomu, that’s actually the best kind of beginning.
“Everyone that is out on this field belongs to be here. And so, I’m not going to win every rep, and I know that,” Lomu said. “I’m either winning, or I’m learning. And so those reps that I don’t win all the time. I’m learning from that. What did I do to lose that rep?
“And whatever I did, just don’t do that again. But I know I’m not going to win every rep. And so especially in the one-on-ones, it’s a place to try different things and to try different techniques that you use.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google
