Patriots Reveal Surprising Detail About Drafting Caleb Lomu

New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf

Patriots Reveal Surprising Detail About Drafting Caleb Lomu originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New England Patriots traded up to select Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round, but Eliot Wolf did not think he would be available.

The Patriots needed a tackle to eventually take over for Morgan Moses, and Lomu can do just that. The Patriots met with him at the combine, but canceled his Top 30 visit because they felt like he would not factor into their plans.

“We interviewed him at the combine," Wolf told MassLive's Mark Daniels. "That was great. We actually canceled his 30 visit because we didn’t. We had one scheduled and we just didn’t think he was going to factor in for us. We thought he’d be gone,” Wolf said. “His agent, Chase Callahan and Colin Roberts weren’t too excited about that, but they understood and, you know, here we are. So, it’s pretty exciting to be able to acquire him.”

Lomu was one of the best offensive tackles in the class. When the Patriots saw him slide to No. 28, they decided to trade up and secure him. Wolf is glad the Patriots still wanted him despite the cancelled visit.

“I wasn’t shocked by (the canceled visit) or thought differently,” Lomu said. “Had a really good visit with them at the Combine. “… It didn’t throw me by surprise. Always thought they were still in the mix, and of course, they were. I’m just very happy that they were in the mix and still wanted me.”