Caleb Lomu's early reps create questions for Patriots' Will Campbell

Who doesn't love a good position controversy before training camp even starts?

That might be the case for the New England Patriots with rookie offensive tackle Caleb Lomu practicing almost exclusively on the left side at Saturday's minicamp. The right side was manned by rookie sixth-round draft pick Dametrious Crownover.

When Lomu was drafted, the expectation was that he would serve as the backup option at right tackle behind 35-year-old veteran Morgan Moses until he was ready to take the mantle.

And that might still be the case.

However, Lomu did play at left tackle at the University of Utah, and the Patriots liked him enough that they were willing to trade up in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to get him. Will Campbell was solid at left tackle before suffering an MCL injury late last season. He tried to come back for the postseason and went on a horrible stretch, including an abysmal Super Bowl performance where he gave up multiple pressures and a sack.

It's not fair to close the door on Campbell before training camp. He deserves an opportunity to compete for the starting job, like he did and won last season. But things could get interesting if Lomu outperforms him in training camp.

The goal is to find the best five-man combination on the offensive line, and there's a chance that could work better with Lomu at left tackle than Campbell. There's also a chance that Campbell comes into training camp, shuts up all of the critics and cements himself as Maye's primary blindside protector.

And with that, it would be up to Patriots coach Mike Vrabel to choose the best man for the job.

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