Image courtesy of KSL Sports

FOXBOROUGH – The NFL Combine doesn’t really give teams much time to get to know potential employees, or vice-versa.

Still, Caleb Lomu – the newest Patriot after being selected 28th overall in the first round on Thursday night – immediately knew he could see himself playing for Mike Vrabel during their brief interaction in Indianapolis.

“Yeah, I loved him,” Lomu told the media after being drafted. “I walked in there, and he was definitely playing his role. He was kind of mean-mugging a little bit. So, I walked in there, and that made me a little intimidated. He just started asking questions, you know? He knew he was a tough guy in there, so I walked in, he started asking me questions, was getting on me a little bit, and it was awesome. Then right after, it was all smiles. He came up to me, shook my hand, said, ‘Really good job,’ and I just walked out. It’s just speed dating at the Combine, but I loved it.

“He was a very serious guy, and he’s an amazing coach. I can’t wait to be able to play for him.”

Lomu went into a little more detail about what those Combine visits are like, admitting it’s quite a nerve-wracking experience, even without a massive man ‘mean mugging’ you.

“I walked in – it was one of my first, so initially, it was kind of scary, walking in, seeing 20 people just all right there. It’s kind of like walking into this media room right now, and then you just sit right in the middle and they just start attacking you with some questions,” Lomu explained with a smile.

“So, it was a little nerve-wracking at first, but I loved it. It was amazing to be able to talk with those coaches and kind of get to know them. They’re just doing their interview thing, and so I enjoyed it. But that was like the first time I got to be with them.”

Clearly, both sides left quite an impression on the other, because Lomu is now one of the guys in charge with keeping the face of the franchise upright for (hopefully) years to come.