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Rockford NFL tackle Vederian Lowe to give back with camp: ‘I grew up on that side of town’

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Rockford NFL tackle Vederian Lowe to give back with camp: ‘I grew up on that side of town’

Vederian Lowe quickly made his mark at Auburn High School. And again for Illinois. Then, even before he had done much in the NFL, he was back doing things in Rockford, hosting a free football clinic at his old high school.

Lowe, a key part of Auburn’s rise from a team with 27 consecutive losses to being a two-time NIC-10 champion under Dan Appino, started a school record-tying 52 games at tackle for Illinois and is now in his third season in the NFL. Saturday, he will host his second annual football camp at Auburn.

“It started with my grandpa, (former Auburn assistant) Jerry Lowe,” he said in a phone call from his new home in Arizona. “This has been something that we have been talking about for years before I even declared for the draft. He was talking about having a camp back in Rockford. It came to fruition because of him.

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“After I got my rookie season under my belt, I felt it was the right time to start it up. I am very grateful to be able to go back to my hometown and do something like this for the kids. It’s good for the children to see someone who comes from where they come from and looks like them and is able to achieve his dreams and come home and give back. Knowing that fulfills me the most.”

Youth sports can be increasingly expensive. But at Lowe’s camp, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., kids can interact with a local NFL player for free. All 150 spots available to kids ages 6 to 16 have been filled, giving Lowe another full camp.

“That’s another key thing. I grew up on that side of town,” Lowe said of Rockford’s poorer west side. “I grew up with a lot of kids who didn’t have a lot of resources for a lot of things. Thankfully, I had my grandfather to help me when it came to sports and going to camps, but not everybody has the same type of resources in their lives. I wanted to make this as least stressful for the parents as I could. Make it easy for them to bring their kids out and just have a good time. That’s really what it’s all about.

“And it’s fun for me to get out there with the kids and go through the drills with them and interact with them and just have a good time. It’s very fun for me. It’s very important as well. I don’t want to just be out there and put my name to it and let it go. I want to showcase that I am all in it as much as they are and we are all there to have a great time.”

Lowe’s brief two-year NFL career, so far, has been a learning experience. Including something that never happens to normal people: His family was uprooted shortly before the season last year when Lowe, a sixth-round draft pick in 2022, was traded by the Minnesota Vikings to the New England Patriots.

“Yeah, man, that was my first taste of the business side of the NFL,” Lowe said. “I was thinking I was going to be in Minnesota and then my career and life was completely different. One moment you are in Minnesota. The next moment, you wake up and you are starting your career in Massachusetts.

“It was definitely a shock at first, but I knew it was part of the job. It was what I signed up for. My mindset was just to make the most out of the opportunity I was getting in New England. That’s what I plan to keep on doing, keep making the most of the opportunities I get every single day. They don’t come around too often, so you have to make sure you take advantage of them when you get them.”

The trade opened opportunities for Lowe. He quickly became New England’s “swing tackle,” backing up both the left and right sides. And when an injury opened up a spot, Lowe started eight games at right tackle.

That was a new experience for Lowe. The biggest adjustment, he said, was learning to lead with his right arm to initiate blocks instead of his left and make that his “enforcer hand.”

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“It was a great learning experience,” Lowe said. “I took all the reps, everything I got, all the coaching, all the film, I took all that and applied it to myself this offseason to help me grow and help me become a better player. Starting all those games at right tackle and not having much experience before at right tackle, helped me key in on the type of player I was and what I need to get better at. I really, really was grateful to get the opportunity to go out there and play and get film under my belt at either position.”

Left tackle has long been the NFL’s glamour position on the offensive line. But things have changed since Michael Lewis’ famous book “The Blind Side.” Right tackle, once known more for its run blocking, has also become a pass protection premium with defenses moving their pass rushers around like pieces on a chess board, far more than they did a couple of decades ago.

“The tackle position in general, it’s just very key,” Lowe said. “The left side is still going to be favored because it’s the blindside. That’s probably how it will always be, but both tackles are very important because edge rushers rush on both sides. You have edge rushers who move around the entire line. You need great pass protectors on both ends.

It’s hard to have quality backups on both sides, so NFL teams try to have a “swing tackle” that is the top backup on both the right and the left. That is the position Vederian Lowe aims to claim. At least for now.

“It’s very important to be able to play one side and then flip sides if needed,” said Lowe, who is currently listed as the backup right tackle on New England’s depth chart. “I have made it my goal to be the best swing tackle that I can possibly be until that time comes where you lock down one spot. I have put my all into being the best player I can on both sides of the line.”

He also has to prove himself all over again, with Jerod Mayo replacing Bill Belichick as New England’s first new head coach in 25 years.

“I need to be more consistent,” Lowe said. “It’s the NFL, man: The margin of error is so small. Any little thing can make you win or lose. The more that you do your technique consistently correct, the more that you win. That’s one of the things I picked up from getting that playing time last year, just how small an error you make can cost you a rep. That’s a key focus for me going into my third season.

“My goal is just to go out there and show them what I can do. This is not the coaching staff that traded for me. This is not the coaching staff that knows what I can do day in and day out. This is a brand-new coaching staff with a new agenda on how they want the offense to go. I want to show them I can be part of how they want the offense to go. I can be that consistent guy day-in and day-out.

“And I want to prove myself every day. I don’t want to ever get comfortable. You do that in the NFL, you won’t last very long. My goal is to not get comfortable, show them what I can do and take advantage of every opportunity that comes.”

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