Caleb Lomu Prospect Profile
Background
Caleb Lomu attended Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona, where he helped the team win back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022 and earned the BJ Media and Randall McDaniel Offensive Lineman of the Year award as a senior. He is of Tongan descent. A consensus four-star recruit who earned invitations to both the All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl, he committed to Utah over Arizona, Michigan, and USC. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2023 with just 25 snaps, then won the starting left tackle job as a redshirt freshman in 2024, starting all 12 games and allowing only two sacks and 17 pressures in 425 pass-blocking reps, earning Freshman All-American from The Athletic and Academic All-Big 12. In 2025 he had 12 starts, zero sacks allowed, just eight pressures in 357 pass-blocking snaps, and First-Team All-Big 12 honors while anchoring a line that earned Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week four times and landed on the Joe Moore Award Mid-season Honor Roll. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft as a redshirt sophomore.
Physical Attributes
RAS:
Lomu is an incredibly smooth athlete. Beyond his athletic testing, I gave him an 8.75 for his on field combine drills, with the highlight being his kick slide drill. He has fluid hips, and quick feet that help him stay aligned, especially in pass coverage. A strong base and core prevent him from being bullied, but he does not show a ton of strength on film.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my OL radar charts, you can find more information here
Lomu is another pass-protection specialist in this draft. Being so, keeping him at LT makes the most sense. There is some worry that he could not translate to the next level so let's talk about that.
Normally, I would only mention back to the physical section when talking about strength, but here I feel it needed more air to breathe, because it could be Lomu's downfall in the pros. Lomu does not play with the requisite power and strength you want to see an NFL lineman exhibit. There are very few times on tape where he caused any pushback against defenders whom he was trying to block. Even when using his great athleticism on a pull block, he would often just run into the defender and not continue pushing on. I cannot see him as he is currently doing well in a gap scheme system, but maybe the extra motion of a zone scheme can bring out his best work.
His work in the run game is way below what you would want out of a top prospect. He misses assignments, gets no displacement, and I dislike using this accusation, looks like he does not want to do what you need to do to excel in the run game. There needs to be more violence and heavy-handed play in his game, and I do not know if that comes from his latte starts to the game or what, but that is not something you want said about a LT. I mean, he went to Utah, Kyle Whittingham was his coach, and he looks like this?
That being said, Lomu is a very solid pass protector. He keeps his base very well and absorbs contact from defenders with ease. Lomu maintains a strong core, and defenders rarely push him back. His inexperience comes up against top pass rushers, guessing and reacting late to moves. It also shows in his sometimes questionable decisions of whom to block on duels and mediocre scanning of threats, but for all we know, he was told to play that way. Though when engaged, he swats hands away easily and makes it difficult for a rusher to disengage him and get around or through.
Grade and Outlook
Lomu leaves you wanting more out of his tape. Some violence or strength, something to make you think he can dominate physically. He does not. He will be 21 until December and honestly has not played a lot of top level football in his career, so it is easy to imagine him in the early stages of his development curve. Mentality shifts are incredibly difficult to predict, though, so I will look at him as a potential set it and forget it pass protecting LT, who you run towards only 35% of the time.
Grade: 6.2 (Late 1st Rounder / Early 2nd Rounder)