How will Patriots third-round pick Caedan Wallace fit in

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. LT of future? The Patriots seemed to take an unconventional approach in the NFL draft when they selected Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace in the third round (No. 68 overall).

Their greatest need along the line was at left tackle. Earlier this offseason, they re-signed starting right tackle Mike Onwenu to a three-year, $57 million deal. And the 6-foot-4, 314-pound Wallace, in 40 career collegiate starts, played all but six of his snaps on the right side.

The Patriots are banking on Wallace being able to flip sides, adding a layer of risk to the pick because there's limited game tape showing him playing the position. He has, however, practiced there.

"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," Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein told ESPN.

"His career kind of was just different, but I would have no hesitation to put him on the left side."

Trautwein noted that Penn State had its left tackle spot well-manned in recent years, first with Rasheed Walker (2022 seventh round pick, Packers) and then with Olu Fashanu (2024 first-round pick, Jets). As a result, Wallace "never really had to transition over there."

The transition should be immediate with the Patriots, and how Wallace adapts will be one of the closely monitored storylines in the team's goal of building a solid infrastructure around rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick.

Veteran free agent signee Chukwuma Okorafor currently projects as the starting left tackle; as with Wallace, the Patriots are projecting he too can flip sides after playing mostly right tackle with the Steelers the past six seasons.

Wallace, 24, said he is "super confident" in his ability to adjust to left tackle, describing himself as "super fluid, physical and intelligent." He practiced some at the position in the days leading up to the East-West Shrine Bowl before playing right guard in the game itself.

Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf said Wallace, whose hand size was among the top of the draft class (10¾ inches), is "athletic enough to make the switch," calling him a "really good pass-protector" who elevated his play as a senior in 2023.

Trautwein, a former offensive tackle at Florida who spent four years in the NFL, also noted Wallace's upward trajectory.

"His growth from when I got there [in 2020] to this last year was huge. His habits, in the meeting rooms, and how that translated on the field, you could see how he got better and better," he said.

Perhaps no performance reflected that more than Wallace's game against Ohio State last October, with him playing arguably the best game of his career while matched up against defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer -- both projected as high draft picks in 2025 (Tuimoloau landed in ESPN analyst Jordan Reid's "too early mock draft" at No. 23).

"He's becoming more nasty as he's becoming more confident. This year he was playing with a nasty streak, which was great for him, and that's why he moved up so much on people's boards because of how he attacked," Trautwein said.

"It's all starting to click. You're getting a kid that is playing his best ball with his best ball still ahead of him."

2. Rookie camp: Media members will get their first look at Maye and the Patriots' rookie class on Saturday, May 11, with head coach Jerod Mayo opening minicamp to reporters that day. This is a change from recent years as Bill Belichick had kept the initial rookie minicamp closed to reporters.

One leftover on Maye from an interview with North Carolina head coach Mack Brown: "I asked him what he wanted [after the 2022 season] and he said 'somebody to help me with my footwork, somebody to help me have a better presence in the pocket, somebody to help me with my throwing motion.' So he's all over it.

"In fact, you have to be careful; he is so hard on himself that some of these things don't need near as much as work as he thinks they do. He's going to be more critical of himself than anybody else."

3. Onwenu and outside zone: Do the pieces fit? That is a question some coaches around the NFL are asking about Patriots offensive linemen and the outside zone scheme favored by first-year offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Onwenu, a powerful presence whose range as a run-blocker isn't a top asset, is one example of the scheme potentially not ideally matching a player's strengths.

For his part, the 6-foot-3, 350-pound Onwenu doesn't see the concern, saying: "At the end of the day, we're all football players. Whatever scheme you put in front of us, we're going to run and execute ... It is more emphasis on stretching the ball and having the ball go outside, whereas last year we were more cutback. It will probably allow us to finish our blocks without worrying about the [defender] falling off or worrying about where the running back is going to go."

4. Smith's comps: Former NFL receiver Steve Smith Sr. studied the draft class at the position, and his film breakdowns of Patriots draft picks Ja'Lynn Polk (second round, Washington) and Javon Baker (fourth round, Central Florida) are timely to revisit.

In an interview with ESPN, Smith noted his NFL comparisons for both players, saying Polk (6-1, 203) reminds him of former Bengals pass-catcher T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

"He's not going to be a burner, but he's not slow," Smith said.

With Baker (6-1, 202), it's a combination of Brandon Lloyd and Chad Johnson. 

"He's willing to put his body on the line to secure the catch and making an acrobatic or diving catch, which isn't always necessary [like Lloyd] if you just take an extra step. With Chad, it's his footwork, his releases, quick feet, upright, tall."

5. Zappe's future: The Patriots, Colts, Commanders and Saints are the only teams with five quarterbacks on their current rosters, which reflects a logjam in New England and sparks the question, "What does Bailey Zappe's future look like?" Veteran Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are locked into roster spots, and the team naturally intends to take a longer look at sixth-round pick Joe Milton (Tennessee). So that leaves Zappe and second-year man Nathan Rourke likely battling for one spot in the near future, as most teams are carrying four QBs.

What Mayo and Wolf are likely weighing: Zappe's starting experience has value behind Brissett if Maye ultimately needs more time to develop behind the scenes, but could his presence somehow impede Maye's space to develop important bonds and grow with new teammates?

6. Evan = Ernie: Bill Belichick had Ernie Adams as his right-hand man, particularly when it came to instant-replay reviews, clock management and timeout usage. Along those lines, Mayo told "The Rich Eisen Show" that he plans to lean on fourth-year assistant coach Evan Rothstein in that area.

"Situational football is always huge; Evan is already training me up on the different situations, and he's learning my philosophy so once we get into the game it's a smooth operation," Mayo said, acknowledging that there will inevitably be some bumps for a first-year head coach in that area. 

7. Addazio link: One of the ties that binds the two offensive linemen selected by the Patriots in the draft -- Wallace and Layden Robinson (fourth round, Texas A&M) -- is former Boston College head coach Steve Addazio (2013-2019). Most directly, Addazio served as Texas A&M offensive line coach last season, working closely with Robinson.

On top of that, Addazio was Phil Trautwein's OL coach at Florida (2005-2008), before hiring Trautwein on his staff at Boston College. Thus, it goes without saying that Trautwein's tutoring of Wallace at Penn State was filled with Addazio's tough-minded influence. "He's like my dad," Trautwein said. "I talk to him all the time."

8. They said it: "I was 24 and now I'm 31 -- it's a lot of years to speak on. Hopefully my teammates and the people around me can see the difference in the man that I've become, and the player." -- Brissett, on how he has grown as a player and person upon his return to the Patriots this season after being traded by the organization in 2017 and having been with four other organizations (Colts, Dolphins, Browns, Commanders)

9. Schedule release: It is already determined who the Patriots will play in 2024, so the league's schedule release -- which is expected to come as early as this week -- locks in the when. Teams can request consideration from the league in certain areas, and I'm told the Patriots asked for the possibility of pairing up their games at San Francisco and Arizona, which would potentially allow them to spend the week out west. No guarantee the league grants it, however. 

10. Did you know: Wallace and Robinson were among 55 offensive linemen selected in the 2024 NFL draft, the most in the seven-round draft era (since 1994).