'I Hated It': The Backstory Behind Patriots' Caleb Lomu's Viral Dance Video

May 7, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (l) and Patriots president Jonathan Kraft (r) walk with first round draft pick Caleb Lomu (c) to the podium for a press conference on the game field at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images Natalie Reid-Imagn Images

'I Hated It': The Backstory Behind Patriots' Caleb Lomu's Viral Dance Video

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated May 8, 2026 12:00 PM ET

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For everyone watching the NFL Draft last month, they got a fantastic first glimpse of the personality behind New England Patriots first round pick Caleb Lomu. After getting picked by the Patriots 28th overall, ESPN showed a pre-recorded video of Lomu dancing.

It exploded on social media, with varying reactions. As for the Patriots rookie, he gave his own two cents about the dance and how it came to be while speaking to reporters at Gillette Stadium.

"That was an interesting moment," Lomu said during his official introduction to the Patriots this week. "It was at the Combine, all that media stuff that they were doing there. They put me up on a stage along with a lot of other people. They had all the cameras just like this and they go, 'Alright, for 10 seconds just do whatever and we’re going to film you.'"

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Lomu -- who comes across as a very happy-go-lucky player off the field -- didn't know what he was going to do when he was prompted. So he just let the dance moves flow out of him.

Caleb Lomu Wasn't Proud Of His Combine Dancing

"So, I was saying like, 'What should I do?' And they were like, 'Just do whatever you want.' And I just didn’t do it once," Lomu said. "They made me do it like four different times. They made me walk from the back of the stage up to the front doing the exact same thing."

At the time, Lomu wasn't a fan of his moves. Looking back, he's still not sure it was the best representation of his dancing.

"That moment, I hated it. I hated it in that moment," Lomu said. "But I was like, 'OK, I’m up here, I’m just going to do whatever my body does.' There’s no real backstory to that. It was really just what I was feeling at the moment. Of course they decided to use that as the dance that they posted. It was not my best work, but it was something."

Now obviously, the Patriots didn't trade up with the Buffalo Bills for Lomu's dancing skills. His on-field demeanor and play will be the reason why this draft pick succeeds. Maybe after Lomu finds his footing in pads can he dance again.

"Coming in, I know nothing," Lomu said. "So, I’m coming in learning as much as I can on the field, off the field as well. So that’s my main goal. Short term, just to come in learning as much as I can."

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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