Patriots Pick Caeden Wallace at No. 68 in the 2024 NFL Draft

The New England Patriots identified three key positions they felt needed to be upgraded in the 2024 NFL Draft. In Round 1 they addressed quarterback by selecting Drake Maye at No. 3 overall. With the No. 37 pick the Patriots added a wide receiver in Ja’Lynn Polk. They completed the hat trick in Round 3 by adding their offensive tackle. New England selected Penn State’s Caeden Wallace with the No. 68 overall pick.

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 Patriots Football Now. Wallace being selected on Day 3 of the draft seemed a safe bet. But with tackles flying off the board and the New England Patriots in need of one, they saw fit to select Wallace in Round 3.

As Nick Baumgardner stated, “There’s a ton to like” about Caeden Wallace. Clearly, Eliot Wolf and the New England Patriots braintrust agreed.