New England Patriots Top 30 Visit: Penn State OT Caedan Wallace

Every NFL franchise is allowed to invite up to 30 draft prospects to visit their facilities and meet with the members of the organization before the NFL Draft. These selections range from first-round targets to players who might be available as undrafted free agents. As news about the New England Patriots Top 30 visits surface, Patriots Football Now will highlight each of the visitors. Today’s feature is Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace.

College Career

Caedan Wallace was a four-star recruit coming out of The Hun School of Princeton in Princeton, N.J. according to 247 Sports composite ranks. He ranked as the No. 83 player in the country, No. 3 offensive guard, and No. 2 player from New Jersey in the Class of 2019. He was a high school teammate of Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Ryan Van Demark.

Wallace committed to Penn State. The coaching staff moved him over to right tackle in college. He redshirted the 2019 season but did appear in four games. The “COVID season” of 2020 shortened the Penn State schedule to nine games. Wallace played in all nine, starting seven at right tackle.

He held down the position again in 2021, starting all 13 games at right tackle for PSU. His consecutive games streak came to an end in 2022. He appeared in eight games, starting seven. But his redshirt senior year he was back. Wallace started all 13 games at right tackle for Penn State, opposite top prospect Olu Fashanu.

Caedan Wallace earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in 2023.

Pro Football Focus gave Wallace a grade of 74.7 grade last season, the highest grade of his career. He improved each of the past three years, going from 53.6 to 68.3 to 74.7. He is trending in the right direction heading into the pro ranks.

NFL Draft

Caedan Wallace participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl before heading to the NFL Scouting Combine. He was one of the more impressive offensive linemen at the Shrine Bowl, earning praise. Among those impressed were Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic. He wrote of Wallace:

“He was consistently one of the quickest tackles off the snap in run drills early in the week with pads on, and while he’ll occasionally lunge or fall off a block in the run game, there’s a ton to like here.”

Wallace has good size. He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 314 pounds with 34″ arms and huge 10.75″ hands. He ran a 5.15 40-yard dash and was ranked as the eighth most athletic tackle at the combine on NFL.com.

Caedan Wallace was selected in the sixth round (No. 206 overall) in the seven-round NFL Mock Draft posted on this site. Wallace being selected on Day 3 of the draft is a safe bet. He is one of several offensive lineman brought in for Top 30 visits by the New England Patriots who might be available on Day 3 or as a UDFA. Other options include Tulsa’s Darrell Simpson, Georgia State’s Travis Glover, and the University of British Columbia’s Giovanni Manu.

As Nick Baumgardner stated, “There’s a ton to like” about Caeden Wallace. As a result, it would not be a surprise to hear his name called as a Day 3 selection by the New England Patriots later this month.