New England Patriots select Caedan Wallace in third round of 2024 NFL Draft

The New England Patriots selected Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Caedan Wallace in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He enters the NFL after spending five seasons at Penn State.

The 2023 season was Wallace’s best as he started in all 13 games at right tackle and allowed just one sack in 359 pass-blocking snaps. His work last season led to him being named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

In 2022, Wallace played in eight games with seven starts at right tackle. He missed five regular season games due to an injury. Wallace started all 13 games at right tackle in 2021 and played in nine games with seven starts at the same position in 2020. In 2019, Wallace played in four games as a reserve before redshirting.

“I think that experience at Penn State is going to help me out a ton,” Wallace said in an interview with The Draft Network earlier this month. “Going against the different defensive fronts we saw in The Big Ten, we saw some outstanding athletes on our schedule. I was able to expand my football knowledge at Penn State.

“I played with a great one in Chop Robinson. We saw him in practice. I think all of those experiences are going to set me up nicely for the future. I’m looking forward to watching that translate.”

Wallace played high school football at The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey, where he was a four-star recruit. He ranked as the No. 60 overall prospect and No. 8 offensive tackle in the 2019 class, according to the On3 Indsutry Rating.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Caedan Wallace

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com shared his analysis of Wallace in his draft profile. He projected that Wallace would be selected in the fourth round and start his career as a backup.

“Wallace played tackle in college but could be considered as a tackle or guard by NFL evaluators,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s broad across his upper and lower body and has decent length and big hands. He’s a clock-puncher who plays with better fundamentals and technique than his highly regarded teammate, Olumuyiwa Fashanu.

“Wallace won’t flash as often as a run blocker and he might be somewhat capped out in terms of what he’s going to be as a tackle. Wallace has NFL size and good body control and should find work as a backup with the potential to start as a guard or tackle.”