DRAFT 2024 3rd Round Pick - OT Caeden Wallace

[dex13]

100% with you captain. Wallace is another JAG in a long line of OL jags on this team.
OL will be horrendous again next year

I think it should be better. Middle and right side should be solid with Andrews, Sow, and Onwenu. Left side is shaky....Strange and Okorafor. Drafting Wallace and Robinson to back them up hopefully helps stabilize that side but we need to wait and seeAndrew's, be Sow goes LG and Robinson plays RG if Strange isnt up to the task. I think it will be a make or break for Strange this year.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Honestly, I would just take serviceable LT right since it's been so bad the past couple of years. Keep the QB from getting killed at least for a year or two. Huge run on OTs made it slim pickings. Target high level OT with 1st pick next year.

This makes sense, but not sure how practical it is. Wallace is a rookie. Some of them are instant hits, but general rule is probably that they take some time and go through some growing pains. So even if Wallace ends up as a "serviceable" LT in his career, he's likely less than that as a rookie. And factor in that he's learning a new position as well. Again, maybe the long term career path is that he's serviceable there, but for the 1-2 year time period you mentioned how likely is that?

In the scenario you mentioned, I just feel like you're setting him up to spend his first 1-2 development years learning a new position that he'll end up switching off of anyway. And that 1-2 years of serviceable play you want out of him might not be feasible in that timeframe. That's my fear with this development plan vs just leaving him at Rt where the projection seems more solid.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Any OT that they take in the third was going to have a questionable projection as a starting caliber LT. Guys who are rock solid prospects there don't last that long. They're all available at that spot because of some troubling concern that you question if they can overcome.

With Wallace, they seem to think he has the tools to play LT but the projection is that he hasn't played there obviously. They seem to attribute that to him just being at a place that had a high 1st round pick at LT that boxed him out of the position.

IDK, I don't think it's this crazy idea others seem to think it is to try it. We all have our favorite prospects but we're lying to ourselves if we go too far hyping up the 9th or 10th OT of the class IMO. None of those guys are any sort of sure-fire projection. And it does seem like at least he's a guy who if he fails at LT he is an ok projection at RT. Some guys come in with "boom or bust" traits where if they correct some things they're a LT but if they don't they'll just flop altogether.

I'm still ok if he ends up at RT, Onwenu to RG (where he can be an all pro rather than just good), Sow to LG (college position), Strange as the heir apparent to Andrews. or maybe Strange/Sow just fight for LG and one of them stuck as odd man out.

That’s the kind of scenario Mayo alluded to the other day when he said we now have a lot of versatile OLmen and the team will figure it out.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

I hope you are right but the coaching argument was used after we signed bob and klemm as well, the player development was meh except Douglas and sow

What happened with Klemm, he just vanished. Which def didn’t help matters last year.

 

[SteveKiner]

For anyone who watched Penn State, they had one of the top two or three elite OT pairings in the land. Equal to or better than Washington, ND, or Michigan. I think LSU’s was best.

I am biased being a one time ND diehard, (before I started watching the SEC closely)but I think comparing all the OT pairings, ND had the best this past year.
I would rank it Alt/Fisher ND; Campbell/ Jones LSU; Fatanu/Rosengarten Wash; Fashanu/Wallace PSU; Henderson/Jones Mich
All these are great pairs. I can't believe I ranked Michigan 5th best and they won the national title, but here it is

 

[SteveKiner]

I think it should be better. Middle and right side should be solid with Andrews, Sow, and Onwenu. Left side is shaky....Strange and Okorafor. Drafting Wallace and Robinson to back them up hopefully helps stabilize that side but we need to wait and seeAndrew's, be Sow goes LG and Robinson plays RG if Strange isnt up to the task. I think it will be a make or break for Strange this year.

not sure if he will be 100% healthy, but I think this true. He either shows a whole lot, or he will never amount to his draft spot. Usually you show what you have by now, but i will give him a pass for last year. i think he was hurt pretty badly but tried to gut it out.

 

[captain stone]

You could say everyone in this draft class other than Alt wouldn't have been able to earn the LT spot if playing on the same line as Fashanu.

That’s actually a fair point, similar to ND’s Blake Fisher being drafted ahead of some others if the intention is to return him to LT… This is just WAY too early a time to see if Wallace can do the same; around 137 is a much more honest price to pay for the privilege.

 

[captain stone]

100% with you captain. Wallace is another JAG in a long line of OL jags on this team.
OL will be horrendous again next year

To be fair, I did like Wallace as a Day 3 option on the back end of an OT double-dip… But Amagadjie should’ve been the choice there, plain & simple; same as Mitchell instead of Polk earlier that evening.

Has anyone asked Wolfie & Mayo if they intend to switch Wallace to Left Tackle during OTAs/TC? Seems that would be kinda, you know, important…

 

[hornetfb85]

It's not rocket science guys C Wallace just have to.be better than Lowe and Anderson which won't be hard.

I’m not so sure you wouldn’t be better than Lowe

 

[hornetfb85]

What happened with Klemm, he just vanished. Which def didn’t help matters last year.

 

[hornetfb85]

To be fair, I did like Wallace as a Day 3 option on the back end of an OT double-dip… But Amagadjie should’ve been the choice there, plain & simple; same as Mitchell instead of Polk earlier that evening.

Has anyone asked Wolfie & Mayo if they intend to switch Wallace to Left Tackle during OTAs/TC? Seems that would be kinda, you know, important…

His *** better be working some slide step drills after supper tonight

 

[dliverey44]

I guess we need the /s rule on Pats.com at this point. Really takes the fun out of it for those of us who love tongue in cheek though.

I think it was Lazar that I heard say the coach Peters wanted Wallace. I think once Maye was drafted, who excels over the middle of the field, it boosted Polk up the board who also excels in the middle of the field especially on digs. So in that regard it makes sense that it could have been 1-2-3 on their board. I have no clue other than a guess.

Before the draft I was telling a buddy of mine that I think Polk and Maye would be a good combo based on the middle of the field prowess. Polk has very strong hands and catches well in traffic, which will happen a lot in the middle. Ladd and Mitchell are not as good in that area, so to me Polk makes sense.

 

[dliverey44]

D ****ing Minus.

The ****ing OBVIOUS ****ing pick there should've been Yale LEFT ****ING TACKLE Kieran Amagadjie. PERIOD.

Yea cuz he wouldn't have been a project. -

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Even if Wallace can play LT.... how well do they think he can play it. Is he just serviceable there or is he a legit asset in that spot? If he's even serviceable at LT then it's a good find for the scouting team to identify that out of him, but do we really want a "serviceable" LT. If he can be serviceable at LT but very good at RT, then I'd rather just leave him at RT.

I'm good leaving Onwenu at RT for now because he's serviceable there, it's a harder position to fill, and we have better IOL depth/development potential than OT on the roster overall. But he's not great at that spot and in the interest of this team fixing their issue of not having any great players, it's probably best to eventually transition him back inside to RG where he can be one of those great players.

I'd develop Wallace as a swing tackle to start this year and through spot playing time and practice reps, let the coaches get a sense of if he has high end traits that make him worth moving over to LT. If he doesn't show HIGH potential at LT, then just leave him at RT and try to fill the LT spot again next year.

Great post. Wallace and Robinson might start in 2025 - GB approach. In 2025 Strange might not be resigned, move Sow to LG, Onwenu to RG, Wallace to RT, and a 1st round LT. The question is why did the Pats draft a RG in the 4th round before Baker?

 

[dliverey44]

Great post. Wallace and Robinson might start in 2025 - GB approach. In 2025 Strange might not be resigned, move Sow to LG, Onwenu to RG, Wallace to RT, and a 1st round LT. The question is why did the Pats draft a RG in the 4th round before Baker?

That is a good question. I would guess just to have a quality backup, but it does seem like a dangerous waiting game even though it was 7 spots until they took Baker.

 

[moosekill]

Or maybe, just maybe, they think the line sucked last year and they understand the necessity or improving it. You all give way to much credit to them. That line was awful for most of the year. It had to be upgraded

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

That is a good question. I would guess just to have a quality backup, but it does seem like a dangerous waiting game even though it was 7 spots until they took Baker.

Wasting 4th round picks on known quality backups is a losing strategy. The Pats must have something else in mind but it is mind boggling to figure it out.

 

[BTTA]

Wasting 4th round picks on known quality backups is a losing strategy. The Pats must have something else in mind but it is mind boggling to figure it out.

A year later, one starter and two good backups is a good draft.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

A year later, one starter and two good backups is a good draft.

No it is not. It is a lousy draft. 3 starters is a good draft.

 

[dliverey44]

Wasting 4th round picks on known quality backups is a losing strategy. The Pats must have something else in mind but it is mind boggling to figure it out.

I would agree if the team was not incredibly ****. At this point you are attempting to improve talent across the roster. If you draft someone with the intent of them starting but they are just a backup as long as they are better than the previous backup it is still a win. The 4th round is not a guarantee to find exceptional talent.

It feels like everyone thinks that after 1 FA and draft we should be playoff bound. It feels like there are some very unreasonable expectations and maybe mine are as well.