The New England Patriots made some major renovations to their offensive line after a disastrous end to the 2025 season. Following the unit allowing 21 sacks in four games and six in the Super Bowl, they made some major tweaks ahead of a pivotal 2026 season.
Starting center Garrett Bradbury was traded despite a bounce-back season, and left guard Jared Wilson, who moved back to his more natural position. Alijah Vera-Tucker was the marquee free agent addition along the unit, as he was signed to a three-year deal.
The draft saw New England add a pair of players to the unit as well. Texas A&M's Dametrious Crownover was selected in the sixth round, and he's received justifiable hype given his size and SEC pedigree. The more notable of the two selections, however, was Utah first rounder Caleb Lomu.
New England traded a fourth-round pick to move up from Pick 31 to Pick 28 to secure the tackle's services, marking the first time the team traded up since 2012.
Eliot Wolf and company made it abundantly clear they wanted Lomu, especially after Wolf's comments about canceling his visit with the team because he thought he'd be too early a pick.
Will Campbell is excited about the Utah lineman's future
This season, the Patriots will deploy the same pair of starting tackles as they did last season: Will Campbell and Morgan Moses. The two are at very different points in their careers, with sophomore Campbell having turned 22 in January while 35-year-old Moses mans the right side.
Each ranked 11th in pressure rate at their respective position last regular season. Of course, they were both members of a shaky offensive line come the playoffs, with Campbell struggling in particular. It seems harsh to count out the former LSU tackle so soon, though.
Lomu was drafted as the long-term replacement for Moses, and that should be exciting for Drake Maye and Patriots fans, who will be hoping their QB stays upright far more regularly than he did in the postseason. Along with Maye and fans, Campbell is also excited to work with the rookie.
Will Campbell on teaming up with Caleb Lomu. “Plan on me and him being here together for a while… Super excited for the future with him.” pic.twitter.com/dboyUDSFWv
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) June 2, 2026
The prospect of New England having a pair of tackles 23 or younger with first-round pedigree in 2027 is very exciting, and we could even see Lomu make an impact this season.
Across the regular season and playoffs, swing tackle Vederian Lowe saw 310 snaps, while Thayer Munford played 143. Marcus Bryant played an additional 18 and saw meaningful time against the Bengals while Moses dealt with an illness. In total, that's 471 snaps that were played by backups, 453 of which were played by players who aren't with the team any longer.
Furthermore, New England utilized an extra offensive lineman in 22 personnel more at the highest rate of any team last season. Munford saw 98 snaps as an extra lineman, while Lowe saw 10. Khyiris Tonga saw 18 offensive snaps. Lomu, given his 86/99 athletic score (3rd among tackles in 2026), could see reps early on as a sixth lineman, especially given Julian Hill will miss the entire season.
New England's pair of young tackles are an exciting building block for their future, and their first-round pedigree will hopefully see Maye protected for the next decade.
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