Morning Sports Update

Here’s the audio of the Patriots’ phone call to Caleb Lomu telling him he would be drafted

Mike Vrabel was one of several New England representatives to speak with Lomu.

Caleb Lomu Patriots phone call draft night
Caleb Lomu at the NFL rookie combine prior to the draft. Michael Conroy / AP

By Hayden Bird

4 minutes to read

Patriots share phone call with first-round pick: On Thursday night, the Patriots traded with the Bills to move up in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and select offensive tackle Caleb Lomu out of Utah with the 28th overall pick.

Lomu, who was with friends and family and not in Pittsburgh at the draft itself, received the phone call informing him of New England’s decision by executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf. The Patriots released audio of the call shortly afterward, sharing it on the team’s social media.

“Hey, listen, we just made a trade,” Wolf explained to Lomu in the recording. “So we are going to make you our first-round pick. Congratulations.”

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Lomu thanked Wolf before the phone was passed to New England head coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel, who made a statement shortly before the draft about the ongoing controversy he’s immersed in regarding the release of photos of himself with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini, spoke briefly with Lomu.

“Caleb, how are you? It’s Coach Vrabel,” he said, adding that he was “doing great.”

“We’re excited to have you,” Vrabel said. “I hope you’re with your family and you’re enjoying this, and we can’t wait to get you here and give you a chance to help the football team.”

The phone was then passed to Robert Kraft, who also welcomed him to the Patriots.

And, just because it’s an enjoyable soundbite, here’s how things went on Lomu’s end:

Trivia: Before Caleb Lomu, who was the most recent player the Patriots selected in the draft with the 28th pick?

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(Answer at the bottom.)

Hint: He was a linebacker from Ohio State drafted in 1999.

Scores and schedules:

The Bruins lost to the Sabres 3-1 in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. Boston now trails the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Sunday at TD Garden at 2 p.m.

The Red Sox lost to the Yankees 4-2 on Thursday, with New York completing the three-game sweep. The Red Sox begin a new three-game series this evening in Baltimore against the Orioles at 7:05 p.m.

Tonight, the Celtics face the 76ers in Philadelphia in Game 3 of their own first-round playoffs series (currently tied 1-1). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Fleet host the New York Siren at the Tsongas Center at noon.

Also on Saturday, Legacy FC play the Stars in Chicago at 6:30 p.m.

And the Revolution will face Inter Miami on the road on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Elsewhere, the NFL Draft continues on Friday night in Pittsburgh with rounds two and three starting at 7 p.m. The remaining picks will be made starting at noon on Saturday. On Thursday, the Patriots traded up to pick offensive tackle Caleb Lomu from Utah.

More from Boston.com:

A strange draft day twist: In a non-Patriots draft story, wide receiver Makai Lemon initially thought he was getting picked by the Steelers in front of the team’s home crowd. But at the literal last minute, the Eagles traded up in front of Pittsburgh to pick the talented wideout. NFL insider Ian Rapoport explained the context.

On this day: In 1983, the Celtics defeated the Hawks 98-79 to clinch a first-round best-of-three playoff series. The story of the game came in a bizarre sequence in which Boston guard Danny Ainge and Atlanta’s Tree Rollins got into a fight.

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The next day, the Boston Herald’s headline became famous: “Tree bites man.”

Daily highlight: It was another tough day for the Red Sox, but this Jarren Duran catch is still something worth watching again.

Trivia answer: Andy Katzenmoyer

Hayden Bird

Sports Staff

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.

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