The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Caedan Wallace.
Caedan Wallace 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
- Height: 6-foot-5
- Weight: 314 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 5.15 seconds
- 10-yard split: 1.74 seconds
- 20-yard shuttle: DNP
- Vertical jump: 31"
- Broad jump: 9'8"
- Arm length: 34"
Caedan Wallace 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS
- Prototypical size and length for an offensive tackle. Used arm length effectively in pass protection to keep rushers off his frame.
- Efficient kick slide in pass protection with good balance and knee bend. Calculated timing with his hand strikes.
- Overall in pass protection showed understanding of hand usage and its value in disrupting pass rusher’s tempo.
- Strong fundamental technique in vertical sets staying square with inside foot to prevent quick inside counters.
- Lateral movement to react effectively to inside counters redirecting with good balance and quick hand resets.
- Showed excellent awareness of stunt bases on defensive lineman alignment with accelerated vision to react after the snap.
- Point-of-attack strength and competitiveness as drive and base blocker in run game. Used hands effectively to control defensive linemen.
- Kept his feet moving as run blocker to drive and sustain. Locked out with his long arms to maintain separation.
- Showed athleticism with good balance and body control to climb effectively to the second level and make blocks.
- Some snapshot run plays where he showed outstanding athleticism and balance working to second level.
- Had some outstanding run blocks where he came off the ball low with good leverage and power and sustained.
WEAKNESSES
- At times, walked a fine line in pass protection between effective lock-out arm extension and reaching and leaning.
- Not too often, but there were pass protection snaps where his reaching caused balance and body control issues.
- Pass protection snaps where he got stuck when he had to redirect inside off the outside set to deal with quick counters.
- On some pass protection snaps, his anchor strength was compromised, and he was pushed back into the pocket.
- In too many run-game snaps, his feet were slow in climbing to second level. Minimized mobility and strike force.
- Needs to play consistently stronger in the run game. Too many snaps where he leaned into blocks playing too high.
NFL TRANSITION
Wallace may be overlooked by some because he is the offensive tackle opposite Olu Fashanu. But Wallace is a strong right tackle prospect with excellent size and length and plus movement traits for the position. In addition, he has extensive experience in a Power 5 conference with 40 career starts.
Wallace has a broad, well-built frame with plus arm length and athleticism, and he consistently showed he could pass protect 1-on-1 out of multiple set techniques with efficient kick slides and excellent balance, as well as refined and calculated hand usage. In the run game, Wallace was also efficient in executing multiple blocking concepts with point-of-attack strength as a drive and base blocker sustaining with moving feet and with the athleticism, balance and body control to climb to the second level.
Wallace will need to clean up a tendency to reach at the top of his pass set which resulted in balance and body control concerns that compromised his reactive athleticism and redirect inside to deal with counters. But that is a technical issue that can be coached.
Overall, Wallace has the physical and athletic traits to play right tackle at the next level and could certainly move inside to offensive guard, with the ability to start there if needed
OTHER NOTES
Wallace was a four-year starter at right tackle at Penn State, finishing his career with 40 starts.
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