The San Francisco 49ers will be busy this week. Former Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. will be in the building on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Niners hosted an offensive lineman who has been slotted in the late first round in most mock drafts.
According to his Instagram, former Utah lineman Caleb Lomu was at the 49ers facility:
Lomu ranks 24th on the consensus big board.
Lomu is a 3-year sophomore with movement skills that would impress any coach watching. He’s 6’6 1/4, but only 313 pounds. Lomu’s arm length was only in the 23rd percentile, and his hand size was in the 14th percentile. His height checks a box, but the rest of his measurables listed do not, and they show up when you watch him.
The last of “knock back” when Lomu puts his hands on a player, whether when he down blocks or is pulling and has a runway to build speed, is a bit discouraging. The overall lack of pop in Lomu’s punch is why he could slip out of the first round.
He’s young, so perhaps Lomu can grow into his body, but how often do prospects morph into power players? That’s not something I’d be willing to bank on.
Lomu’s jumps were outstanding. They were in the 90th percentile. You can see how graceful an athlete Lomu is when it’s time to climb to the second level to block a linebacker, when he’s in the open field on a screen, or when the Utes had him pull. Everything looks effortless.
Lomu did not allow a sack last season. He struggled in 2024, allowing 16 pressures with a 4.8 percent blown block rate in pass protection. However, he cleaned those numbers up last season, dropping the number to six pressures at a 1.7 blown-block rate.
Utah ran zone only 32 percent of the time. They were a heavy gap scheme team, which is why you saw Lomu on the move so often. Utah ran behind him more than any left tackle in the class. He did his job: runners averaged 3.8 yards per carry before contact when running behind Lomu, a ridiculously high number that also led the class.
I can’t get past the lack of functional strength, and I fear it’s what will prevent Lomu from becoming what you hope a first-round pick will be.
Lomu would be part of the 49ers contingency plan if a run on wide receivers in the 1st round happens, and they’re left with Lomu, or a WR6. Instead of reaching on a wideout, Lomu might be able to plug in at guard instead until he moves to left tackle, assuming the team works something out with Trent Williams.
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