Preliminary note from Perry: Pats have ‘work to do’ with OT Caedan Wallace originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots entered the 2024 NFL Draft in need of a quarterback, wide receiver and left tackle. Mission accomplished with the first three choices… more or less.
The Patriots checked the first two boxes by selecting UNC quarterback Drake Maye third overall and Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk ranked 37th. With the third-round pick, de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and Co. selected Penn State offensive lineman Caedan Wallacewho is an excellent candidate – but played exclusively at right tackle for the Nittany Lions.
Wolf insisted Friday night that the team believes Wallace is athletic enough to move to left tackle, where he could potentially start on the opposite side of starting right tackle Mike Onwenu. Our Patriots Insider, Phil Perry, is a little more skeptical.
While Perry is on top of Wallace’s athleticism, he notes that the 24-year-old is still not a surefire left tackle like some of the prospects who were taken before him early in the draft.
“Six-foot-five, 314 pounds, 34-inch arms and huge 10 3/4-inch hands, that’s the 90th percentile,” Perry said of Wallace in his official grade of the team’s 68th pick. “He’s also an explosive player, so you can see why the Patriots want to invest in him. His long jump ranked in the 96th percentile of offensive tackles who have attended the combine over the past 20 years.”
“You have to like his experience. He started 40 games for the Nittany Lions – all 40 at right tackle. So if you were hoping the Patriots would come away with a locked-down left tackle in this year’s draft, there might be some work to do.” do for Wallace.
“…An experienced player with impressive characteristics, but still with many doubts as to whether or not he can block Drake Maye’s blind side, let’s go ahead and give this pick a C+.”
It’s possible Wallace could make a seamless transition to left tackle under the guidance of Patriots offensive line coach Scott Peters and be the team’s starting left tackle for years to come. But, as Perry points out, Wallace’s choice is something of a gamble on a very important position.
New England currently have five picks on Day 3which starts on Saturday at 12pm ET.
