Patriots Trade Up for Lomu, Fill Edge Rusher Need

0:00On April 26, Patriots exec Elliott Wolf couldn't believe Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu dropped to the 31st pick in the draft. They were so sure he wouldn't be there that they straight up canceled his top 30 pre-draft visit. To snag him, they got aggressive and traded with rivals, the Buffalo Bills, swapping their 31st and 125th picks for the 125th, 28th spot. Fans and analysts mostly expected New England to grab an edge rusher early, since that's been a big need. Wolf's surprise shows how the boards shook out differently than planned. They still feel that gap by trading up in the second round for Illinois linebacker Gabe Jockas. Meanwhile, Lomu brings versatility across the offensive line, setting him up as the long-term replacement for aging 35-year-old Morgan Moses. Players like that don't hit the market often, so this feels like a sharp move that could pay off big down the line. That's your update from NFL News Today, powered by AI.