Perry's Draft Grade: Pats enjoy ‘work to compose' with OT Caedan Wallace

Perry’s Draft Grade: Pats enjoy ‘work to compose’ with OT Caedan Wallace on the beginning looked on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots entered the 2024 NFL Draft wanting a quarterback, wide receiver and left tackle. Mission performed with their first three picks … roughly.

The Patriots checked off the predominant two containers by deciding on UNC quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 total and Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk at No. 37. With their third-spherical decide, de facto total manager Eliot Wolf and Co. picked Penn Jabber offensive tackle Caedan Wallace, who’s an very fair correct prospect — but played exclusively appropriate tackle for the Nittany Lions.

Wolf insisted Friday night time that the personnel believes Wallace is athletic ample to flip over to left tackle, where he potentially could well maybe presumably delivery up reverse beginning appropriate tackle Mike Onwenu. Our Patriots Insider Phil Perry is rather extra skeptical.

While Perry is excessive on Wallace’s athleticism, he notes the 24-three hundred and sixty five days-used quiet is now not a surefire left tackle admire one of the crucial most potentialities who had been picked sooner than him earlier in the draft.

“Six-foot-five, 314 kilos, 34-hotfoot hands and big 10 3/4-hotfoot hands, that is the 90th percentile,” Perry mentioned of Wallace in his legitimate grade of the personnel’s 68th decide. “He’s an explosive mover as properly, so that you would be in a position to maybe be ready to seem for why the Patriots desire to make investments in him. His wide jump ranked in the 96th percentile of offensive tackles who participated in the mix over the final Twenty years.”

“You may want to admire his ride. He started 40 games for the Nittany Lions — all 40 coming at appropriate tackle. So, when you happen to had been hoping the Patriots would attain away with a lock-it-down left tackle on this three hundred and sixty five days’s draft, there could be some work to compose for Wallace.

“… An experienced participant with spectacular traits but quiet heaps of questions as as to whether or now not or now not he can block up Drake Maye’s blind side, let’s race ahead and give this decide a C+.”

It be that you are going to be ready to imagine that Wallace makes a seamless transition to left tackle below the guidance of Patriots offensive line coach Scott Peters and is the personnel’s beginning left tackle for years yet to achieve reduction. But as Perry parts out, Wallace’s desire is rather a bet at a important set.

New England for the time being has five picks on Day 3, which kicks off Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.