‘One of the steals of this draft.’ NFL insider raves about Patriots sleeper pick
The New England Patriots missed out on some of the most-hyped tackles in the 2024 NFL Draft, but may have ended up with one of this year’s biggest steals, according to one NFL insider.
During this weekend’s draft coverage, ESPN’s Louis Riddick raved about the Patriots selecting Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace in the third round.
“I’m just going to tell you right now, folks Caeden Wallace Moss is going to be one of the steals of this draft,” Riddick said. “He’s gonna wind up being a book-end starter for them at right tackle for a decade. That guy, he had fantastic tape.”
Tackle was one of the Patriots’ biggest needs heading into the draft. However, the team opted to address the holes at quarterback and receiver in the first two rounds. By the time New England was on the clock in Round 3, a total of 10 tackles had already been taken. But if Riddick’s analysis is correct, the Patriots may have scored a sleeper.
The Patriots made it back-to-back picks on the offensive line this weekend, following up the Wallace selection by taking Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson. Riddick praised the strategy employed by Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf.
“I love what Elliot Wolf is doing right. He’s trying to do it the way you would typically want to do it for your young quarterback and for any quarterback,” Riddick said. “Let’s make sure we have the big guys up front to protect. Coaching and developing is gonna play a crucial role in all this. So the coaching staff is gonna have to be on it.”
New England went offense with its first five picks this year, taking UCF receiver Javon Baker at No. 110 overall. The team has three picks remaining on Day 3, two in Round 6 and one in Round 7.
