Continuing our series, which began earlier this month and will run until the 2026 NFL Draft begins on April 23, The Detroit News will spotlight one prospect a day who could be a first-round fit for the Detroit Lions, who own the 17th overall pick. Assuming the Lions don't trade out, it'll be their highest selection since running back Jahmyr Gibbs went No. 12 in 2023.
To close out the series, today's focus is on Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu.
▶ Didn’t give up a single sack during his final season at Utah
▶ Allowed eight pressures on 102 true pass sets in 2025
Lomu was a four-star recruit via 247Sports’ composite rating out of Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He was ranked as the No. 119 player nationally, the No. 2 player out of the state of Arizona, and the No. 13 tackle for the 2023 recruiting class. He committed to Utah over offers from 21 other schools, including Michigan. He was selected after his senior season to participate in the All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl.
In high school, Lomu helped Highland to its first state championship in 2021, his junior season. He was a states-qualifying track athlete in the discus and javelin.
Lomu redshirted during his freshman season at Utah. He took 25 reserve snaps on the offensive line and seven special-teams snaps. He won a starting job as a redshirt freshman and started 12 games, all at left tackle. On 194 true pass sets, he allowed 15 pressures and two sacks and received a run-blocking grade of 70.1 from Pro Football Focus en route to being named a midseason Freshman All-American by The Athletic.
Lomu came into his own as a pass protector during the 2025 season, but the improvement did coincide with Utah making a pretty considerable change to its run frequency. He had just 102 true pass sets compared to 199 in 2024.
Utah averaged 266.3 yards on the ground in 2025 (up from 130.4 the year prior) behind Lomu and Spencer Fano, another first-round prospect. While Lomu’s pass-blocking stats improved, his run-blocking grade dropped to 62.0, per Pro Football Focus. Still, Lomu was named First-Team All-Big 12 after the 2025 season.
Lomu opted out of the Las Vegas Bowl, his last chance to put on the Utah helmet, to prepare for the NFL Draft, which could be a red flag for Detroit.
On Jon Jansen’s “In the Trenches” podcast, former Utah and current Michigan offensive line coach Jim Harding called Lomu “really athletic, smart, long.”
“He looks like the prototypical NFL tackle, great length,” Harding said, adding that Lomu could stand to “be a little bit more physical.”
“Caleb has great footwork in the pass game, and again, that length in the run game. Always knew what to do, worked to be inside out of his defender and the ball carrier,” Harding said.
Lomu (6-6¼, 313 pounds) is a smooth, technical left tackle with a questionable anchor who might need some time to develop adequate NFL size and strength. But he’ll enter the league with good length (33⅜-inch arms) and excellent athleticism.
He crushed his workout at the NFL Combine, finishing ninth among offensive linemen in the 40-yard dash (4.99 seconds), tied sixth in the vertical leap (32½ inches) and sixth in the broad jump (9 feet, 5 inches) for a Relative Athletic Score of 9.78 out of 10. He turned 21 years old in December and will enter the draft as one of its youngest players after leaving Utah following his redshirt sophomore season. Next Gen Stats ranked Lomu fifth among offensive tackles based on Combine results.
Outside of his body composition and athleticism, Lomu’s other two strengths are his feet and his brain. He has excellent footwork, which allows him to stay square to defenders and overcome some of the other concerns in his scouting report. He’s also a terrific processor, using his combination of quickness and technique to quietly dismantle complicated games and stunts.
“He has consistent snap timing, with the mirror quickness to stay in front of wide speed and the body control to catch his balance and recover, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler writes. “In the run game, he explodes out of his stance to cover ground and fit on targets, both backside and out in space. However, he struggled to play with consistent aggression or leg drive as a run blocker — NFL power will be eye-opening for him.”
The consensus among scouts is that Lomu’s pass protection is currently ahead of his run blocking. His pad level is inconsistent and his power is nothing to write home about. But again, with Larry Borom already on the roster, it wouldn’t be a catastrophe if Lomu needs some time to develop. As NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein notes, “Utah's run game leaned heavily on movement and misdirection, preventing Lomu from firing out and showing his power.”
As the process has gone on, Lomu's stock has fallen a bit. Once a popular mock pick for the Lions at No. 17, he's now consistently showing up toward the end of Round 1, and even early in Round 2, in mock drafts. If the Lions are looking to trade back, he could be a prime target.
▶ Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor