Patriots OT Caleb Lomu Is Adjusting To, And Loving, 'Awesome' New England
Caleb Lomu mentioned that he's an avid golfer during his first press conference after being drafted by the New England Patriots. He's been able to get out on a few courses since arriving to the area, but hasn't been out enough for the names of them to stick.
"I've been to a few," Lomu told reporters after the team's Juneteenth football clinic at Newton North High School last weekend. "Honestly I forgot the names a little bit, but all the courses out here are beautiful. Super green, all the trees. It's awesome."
Born and raised in Arizona and spending his college days in Utah, the offensive tackle is still in the middle of his first trip to the east coast. The 21-year-old had never traveled this far east before in his life, and it's still taking some time for Lomu to truly get adjusted.
Despite that, he's loving every second of what it takes to be a Patriot.
"Everything about New England's awesome, especially the team, just fitting in well with the team," Lomu said. "Coming in, there's a standard on the team, so just trying to fit in with that as soon as possible is a big help for me. That's how they've been doing it, and so that's how I'm gonna have to do it. It's fitting in with that, being able to live up to the standards definitely helped a lot.
"Everything's Been Awesome"
"To be able to get with the area, you know, go explore and get all these suggestions from people just where to go eat and explore," Lomu said, "so everything's been awesome."
The rookie is getting his first taste of the region, as well as the other side of the offensive line. During the spring months, Lomu has been spotted at left tackle, right tackle and left guard. After playing left tackle for the Utes last season, where he'll suit up is a mystery right now for the Patriots.
He's projected to be a long-term solution to a New England offensive line that struggled to close last season on a strong note. Drafted with the 28th overall pick in April, Lomu could start the year as the team's top swing tackle, or maybe a replacement for Will Campbell at left tackle.
In the meantime, Lomu has been learning to deal with both tackle spots ... and a Foxboro staple -- the traffic along Route 1. Because of the seven World Cup games scheduled at be played at Gillette (or Boston) Stadium this spring, Lomu has gotten an up close look at some of the congestion in and around his home stadium.
"That is awesome, but the traffic sucks," Lomu said about the World Cup. "Traffic already sucks here enough, so with that adding on top, I feel like that's even worse. But it is cool having games right there in our stadium, so that's super fun."
Caleb Lomu Learning The Boston Ropes
Lomu and the rookies have gotten to experience plenty in their short times in New England so far. Whether it's the World Cup, several charitable events with kids in the region or baseball games, they've been able to check several things off their Boston bucket lists.
"This rookie class is awesome. All the people are super close," Lomu said. "We've gotten to do so many things together. Went to a Red Sox game ... It's been awesome being able to work out and so what we need to do, and then be able to do things like this."
What were his first thoughts of Fenway Park?
"I love it, it's awesome. A very cool spot," he said. "I was able to go with my wife a few days earlier. The games are awesome, that stadium is special, the team is special and so it's fun to be able to see those games."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots OT Caleb Lomu Is Adjusting To, And Loving, 'Awesome' New England.
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This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:30 AM.