Patriots select Penn State tackle Caedan Wallace with 68th pick in 2024 draft

With the 68th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace.

Wallace became the Pats' third pick of the 2024 class, joining first-round quarterback Drake Maye (No. 3) and second-round wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (No. 37). The Patriots traded down from the 34th pick to 37 before selecting Polk, in a deal that saw them also swap pick 137 for 110, turning their fifth-rounder into a fourth.

Wallace stands at 6-foot-5 and 314 pounds, with 34-inch arms. Some NFL teams may view him as a guard with that frame, but he does have NFL tackle-caliber arm length, and played right tackle at Penn State. Wallace allowed just one sack in 359 pass-blocking snaps as a senior in 2023.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein says of Wallace: "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."

Considering the Patriots' situation and needs, Wallace figures to compete with free-agent addition Chukwuma Okorafor to start at left tackle. Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf told reporters Friday night that the Patriots believe Wallace is athletic enough to make the switch from right tackle to left.

Unless the Patriots trade up into the bottom of the third round, their work is done for day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft. They've addressed all three of their biggest needs on offense. That should allow them the freedom to draft for the best players available, regardless of position.

MORE: What the draft experts are saying about new Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt's content.

On Thursday night, the New England Patriots made North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The pick was a 'chalk' selection for the Patriots, with most experts projecting Maye as a top quarterback in this draft and sending him to the Patriots in mock drafts.

Maye, 21, started 26 games over the last two years for North Carolina. He completed 64.9 percent of his 952 pass attempts for 8,018 yards with 63 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He was named ACC Player of the Year in 2022, then was second-team All-ACC last year.

--Drake Maye is exactly the kind of quarterback the Patriots needed to gamble on
--Drafting Drake Maye isn’t the end of a process for the Patriots, it’s the beginning
--Patriots mid-draft mock draft

Now, Maye will hope to have similar success in New England. He comes is and the organization's second attempt at finding a franchise quarterback in the last four years, following the selection of the recently-traded Mac Jones 15th overall in 2021.

For those that followed the pre-draft process, Maye was one of the most talked-about players. But for those who just tuned in on draft night and don't follow college football, he's probably a new name. For those playing catch-up, here's a look at what the experts were saying about Maye leading up to the draft.

"Challenging evaluation with top-flight measurables and tools but inconsistencies that create a lower floor. Maye’s size and arm talent jump off the tape immediately. He can make every throw, but he will try to make throws that he shouldn’t have attempted. The gunslinger mentality creates a fearlessness that can turn into interceptions, but it will also allow him to win in tight windows and make splash throws that get crowds (and evaluators) on their feet. He leaves too many throws on the back shoulder or hip and needs to learn when to take some sauce off the throw to make it more catchable. There is an undeniable energy to Maye’s game that can create momentum or turn chaotic when plays come off-schedule for him. The combination of traits and tape make him a boom/bust prospect who might need patient management and coaching to help shepherd him toward his potential."

Source

"A two-year starter at North Carolina, Maye thrived in Phil Longo’s Air Raid offense in 2022 and Chip Lindsey’s more balanced attack in 2023 (head coach Mack Brown also hired Clyde Christensen, who coached Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and several other NFL quarterbacks, as an offensive analyst in 2023). Despite only two years as the Tar Heels’ starter, they were the two most productive seasons by a quarterback in North Carolina history — Maye’s 5,019 yards of total offense in 2022 set the school record and his 4,057 yards of total offense in 2023 was the second-most (he was the only FBS quarterback to accumulate over 9,000 yards of total offense over the last two seasons). With his arm strength and pacing, Maye put the full inventory of throws on tape and operates with timing from the pocket to attack the defense’s leverage. He is a quick-reaction athlete to make plays off-schedule as a scrambler and can rip throws from different platforms. His arm can get juiced-up at times, disrupting his ball placement, and his progression reads are still a work in progress, especially when he feels pressed to make a play (39-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the first half compared to 24-to-12 in the second half). Overall, Maye needs to cut down on the reckless decisions, but he is a well-put-together passer with the on-field command, athletic instincts and arm talent to create solutions for the problems that NFL defenses present. With his physical gifts and smarts, he is cut from the same cloth as Justin Herbert and has a similar ceiling as an NFL player"

Source

"Drake Maye is the prototypical quarterback prospect. Size, speed, arm strength; he's got all the tools you look for in a franchise quarterback. Maye's arm talent is the core of his game. He can throw a 100 mph fastball into a tight window over the middle or outside the numbers. Maye can also throttle down and put throws where only his receiver can go get it, as well as creating smooth yards-after-the-catch transitions for his receivers on underneath routes. He possesses every club in the bag.

Maye can do all of that off-platform, too. He has no issue throwing without a proper base under him or when he's falling away from pressure. Likewise, Maye can really spin it when he's on the move, both on rollouts and when scrambling. Maye is also a good athlete. He isn't a special runner, but he's at least in the same tier of rushing ability as New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Designed runs are on the table with him, and he has a little bit of juice as a scrambler.

When it comes to processing, Maye is more good than bad, but he's not perfect. Maye does well to execute UNC's relatively simple offense. He excels at playing on time, adhering to the structure of the play, and progressing all the way to his checkdowns if need be. However, Maye does have moments where he doesn't see or react to post-snap movement. In particular, late safety rotations don't always trigger the response out of him that you'd like to see.

Maye also has a little bit of Superman Syndrome. There are two or three plays a game where things break down and Maye feels the need to do something outrageous to salvage the play, rather than just move onto the next play or series. You don't want Maye to lose his edge, but some of those plays must be cut out.

Overall, Maye is a supremely talented passer. He has the athleticism, arm talent and baseline processing skills to become a weapon at the next level. All he needs to do is cut out some of the "doing too much" plays. Maye has the skill set to fit in any system and develop into a star."

Source

"Maye had a fantastic debut season as the starter at UNC, throwing for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven picks in 2022. He looks the part of a big-time NFL quarterback. He can make every throw with ease. He's accurate on the move and can pick up first downs with his legs. Maye varies his pass speeds really well -- he knows when to take a little off to make it easier for his receivers. He has outstanding touch on vertical throws.

The biggest question about Maye heading into the 2023 season was about who was catching his passes, as his top two receivers -- Josh Downs and Antoine Green -- are now in the NFL and transfer target Devontez Walker was finally made eligible. Breaking in new playmakers was part of the reason for predecessor Sam Howell's up-and-down 2021 season for the Tar Heels, and Maye has had to figure things out with a new group.

Maye completed 63.3% of his passes during the season and his best performance came when he threw for 442 yards and three scores against Syracuse. Still, he has had a few sloppy interceptions and I wanted to see him clean up those mistakes. He finished with 24 touchdown passes and nine picks."

"Maye has a flamethrower arm, ideal size and very good mobility -- he led UNC in rushing in 2022 (698 yards) and scored 16 rushing TDs over the past two seasons. And he threw 22 go-ahead touchdown passes over the past two seasons, tied with Michael Penix Jr. for the most among my top six quarterbacks."

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.