Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf was enthusiastic about the Patriots’ haul on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The de facto general manager said Friday night that he believes the board “fell really nicely” for the wide receiver- and offensive-tackle needy Patriots.
The Patriots traded down from No. 34 to No. 37 with the Chargers while flipping a fifth-round pick for a fourth-round pick. They selected Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. Then they stood pat at No. 68 overall to take Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace after a run on offensive tackles.
“Polk was a guy we had targeted; Wallace was a guy we had targeted. We had some exploratory conversations about possibly moving back from 68, and then, it was just kind of like, ‘Well, why? This is the guy that we had wanted all along.’ So, sometimes it doesn’t fall for you; it fell pretty nicely for us today,” Wolf said.
Wolf explained the Patriots’ thought process behind trading back from No. 34 overall. He said the Patriots would have taken Polk at No. 34 before making the deal.
“We felt based on some of the intel that we had from other teams that we would be able to trade back a little bit and still get him,” Wolf said. “So, we made that deal and were able to move up from the fifth to the fourth with the Chargers.”
He also said the run on offensive tackles — there were eight players at the position selected between the 55th and 79th picks — encouraged the Patriots to hold firm at No. 68 overall.
“It was just kind of like, ‘Well, let’s not chance it. This is the player we had targeted all along anyway. Let’s just pick him,’” Wolf said.
It was slightly surprising to see the Patriots select a player who only started at right tackle in college given the team’s specific need at left tackle. But Wolf and the Patriots believe Wallace can potentially play on the blind side.
“So, he was a guy that we felt was athletic enough to possibly make the switch over on the left side. Really good pass protector, really took a huge step forward this year as a four-year starter,” Wolf said. “Athletic, can bend, strong, powerful, tough. He could possibly play guard. We think he could be a four-position guy, but definitely feel like he can play on the left side. …
“Really, his teammate, Olu Fashanu, that the Jets drafted was the reason that he played on the right. So athletically, there’s no reason why he couldn’t make the switch over there. He’s a really smart, dedicated kid that we feel like can handle that.”
If Wallace can’t play left tackle, then the Patriots will likely be relying on veteran Chukwuma Okorafor to play there in 2023. Okorafor played left tackle in college but has only started at right tackle in the NFL.
Wolf said he believes Polk can play “X,” “Z” and slot receiver.
“He’s a guy that we had our eye on for a while, “Wolf said. “He’s a really good fit in our offense. He’s really tough, he’s strong, he can run all the routes, play inside-outside. He’s a good blocker. He’s really competitive, both for the ball in the air and as a run-after-catch player. He’s really just kind of a versatile, do-everything type guy. He ran a little bit faster than a lot of people expected, but when you turn the tape on, you see him running by people. So, definitely excited to add him to the mix.”