Penn State saw three offensive linemen drafted in the 2024 NFL draft, but one of them could be about to move to a new position with their NFL team. [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag], who was drafted in the third round by the New England Patriots, could be moving to the opposite line of the line of scrimmage at the next level.
Wallace played at right tackle for Penn State, opposite of first-round draft pick Olu Fashanu, who had the left tackle position locked down in State College. But with the Patriots spending some money this offseason to re-sign Mike Onwenu to continue manning the right tackle position, the hope in New England is that Wallace will be able to handle flipping from right tackle to left tackle according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.
The Patriots are taking a slight gamble on a move like this as they used a first-round draft pick to select North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye to be the team’s quarterback of the future. Needless to say, the offensive tackle positions are vital for any quarterback in the NFL, and there will be a significant amount of pressure on Wallace to live up to the expectations in New England to protect Maye moving forward.
Will this work out for New England? For what it is worth, Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwin seems to believe it should be no concern for the Patriots.
“He hasn’t taken any game reps, but he’s taken many practice reps because I always make sure they’re developing on both. I don’t want them to just be a ‘right tackle’ because I want them to have a long career and get on the field as fast as possible,” Trautwein said to ESPN. “His career kind of was just different, but I would have no hesitation to put him on the left side.”
Wallace has suggested he is ready to make the change and help out in any way the Patriots are asking of him.
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