Penn State is expected to see one member of its offensive line be a lock for a first-round draft pick this spring with Olu Fashanu potentially going in the first 10 picks of the draft. But another member of the offensive line turned in a solid week in the East-West Shrine Bowl to see his chances of being drafted become more and more solid.
[autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag] was a standout winner from this week’s Shrine Bowl according to some scouts and analysts attending the college football all-star game in Texas this week. Wallace was featured in some very positive highlights making the rounds on social media and he was singled out among 15 top performers from the week by Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic.
“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,” Baumgardner said of Wallace in a story on The Athletic (subscription required). “Wallace measured in with 33 5/8-inch arms and 10 1/2-inch hands and showed the second-highest max acceleration GPS number of any offensive lineman.”
Wallace may not have proven to be an early-round draft pick off this one week, but the projected late-round pick may have helped solidify his chances of being drafted rather than risk floating into the undrafted free-agent pool.
Of course, Wallace will still have to prove himself a bit to cement himself as a draft pick this spring. He will get a chance to showcase his skills one more time at Penn State’s pro day, and potentially at the NFL Combine if he is fortunate to receive an invite to the NFL’s top scouting event leading up to the draft.
#KansasState OT/OG KT Leveston @KStateFB #PennState OT Caedan Wallace @PennStateFball
🤝💪
(Both big fellas have had nice moments at @ShrineBowl) pic.twitter.com/yLGcgtsiRk— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) January 30, 2024
As expected, @PennStateFball OT Caedan Wallace is off to a fantastic start. Completely shutting down guys in 1v1 pass rush drills.
Experienced RT. Great size, power and athleticism. Name to circle.
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) January 27, 2024
Wallace was used as right guard in the Shrine Bowl this week, perhaps an indication of where he will be desired at the next level, although that can change at any time. Penn State used Wallace at the tackle position, but these types of events tend to find the more suitable spots for players in the NFL with NFL coaches running the show.
Wallace was on the East roster with Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower serving as head coach, Arizona Cardinals passing game coordinator Drew Terrrell acting as the offensive coordinator, and New York Jets offensive line coach Ben Wilkerson and Tennessee Titans offensive assistant Luke Stocker serving as offensive line coaches.
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