We know the Patriots are desperate for a left tackle. After day two of the NFL draft, do they still need one? Maybe. Maybe not.
With their third-round pick, #68 overall, the Pats selected Caedan Wallace out of Penn State. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder was a four-year starter on the right side at Penn State. However, Eliot Wolf thinks the 24-year-old could make the jump from right to left.
"We feel like Caeden has the athleticism to play over on the left side. Olu Fashanu (Jets first-round pick) was the reason why he played on the right (at Penn State)," Wolf said. "There's no reason why he couldn't make the switch over there. He's a really smart and dedicated kid that we feel like can handle it."
Wallace, who Wolf noted has a laid-back personality until he steps between the lines, appeared to have that same calmness when asked about making that move (if need be).
"I'm super confident," he told us via video conferencing. "I play every position on the line. I'm so excited to get there and learn."
Wallace played in the East-West Shrine game - where he did some work at left tackle - and visited Foxborough earlier this month on a "30" visit. He was a decorated high school player, entering PSU as the number three offensive guard recruit in the country. Wallace redshirted his freshman year before becoming the lockdown starter at RT for the next four seasons. He did miss a handful of games in his junior year because of an ankle injury, but otherwise, he was a rock for the Nittany Lions.
"He's a starting-caliber player," said one NFL assistant line coach. "Good athlete packs a mean punch and came into his own this past season."
At this point, Wallace is considered a better pass blocker than in the run game, but the tools are there for him to be well-rounded. Wolf even mentioned they could envision the New Jersey native as a four-position player (everything but center), which speaks to his overall athleticism and football intelligence.
I texted with an NFC scout shortly after the pick, and he added that while Wallace struggled with some of the speedier rushers he faced and isn't "rangy," his power can "jolt defenders."
BSJ ANALYSIS
- It's a big ask to move a long-time right tackle - one who couldn't remember the last time he played left tackle in a game - to make the NFL leap to left tackle, but the confidence with which Wolf and Wallace spoke is going to make me place a few more calls to those who scouted him.
- This fundamentally sound player gives the Pats a good baseline to work with, regardless of where he lines up.
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