With the #68th pick, the New England Patriots finally ended up adding a tackle Friday night, with the club adding Penn State offensive lineman Caedan Wallace.
Wallace was a solid contributor up front for the Nittany Lions, displaying a lot of power in the ground game while also showing surprising balance and decent feet in the passing game.
He’s strong, showing good drive against opposing linemen, some of which were pretty athletic. Still, he showed some good feet for a player his size, handling the rush well in an offense that relied on the ground game.
One other thing that stood out was the fact he does a really good job of using his leverage against defenders, often using whatever push or lean against them and dropping them to the ground. He’s also quick with great hands, with the ability to shift his feet from one block, and then come off it back to another in the same play.
NFL Network listed one stat where Wallace was beaten just four times during 2023 as he anchored the right side of Penn State’s line. He also allowed just one sack on 346 pass plays last season.
The only question now is where he may fit in for New England, who seemingly is more in need of a young tackle prospect on the left side, yet Wallace at least appears to be a young prospect on the right. He does have some versatility, with the ability to also play guard, but it will be interesting to see if he’s ever worked at left tackle, which might provide some additional context for the selection.
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had this to say in his breakdown of Wallace:
“A four-year starter at Penn State, Wallace was entrenched as the right tackle in former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s multiple run scheme. After breaking into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman, he showed steady progress year over year, including a strong senior season in 2023,” wrote Brugler. “Although his kick-slide isn’t always explosive, Wallace stays controlled/squared as a pass blocker to close space and cut off rushers with his strike timing.”
“When his technique is on point, he has the functional movements and strength behind his hands to be a presence in the run game. Overall, Wallace needs to continue developing his consistency, but he is a smooth athlete with a wide base, punch-ready hands,and improved physicality to finish. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him starting as an NFL rookie at right tackle or potentially inside at guard.”
The Patriots currently head into Saturday with five remaining selections, which are as follows:
Round 4:
#103 Overall
#110 Overall (via LA Chargers)
Round 5:
None
Round 6:
#180 Overall
#193 Overall (via Jaguars)
Round 7:
#231 Overall (via Bears)
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
