Eliot Wolf gives scouting report on new Patriots picks Polk, Wallace

The Patriots entered the 2024 NFL Draft with three sizable vacancies on their roster at quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive tackle.

New England addressed its most pressing need on Thursday, taking UNC QB Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in the draft. 

The following day, the Patriots bolstered the rest of their offensive unit — selecting Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round (No. 37 overall) before taking Penn State OT Caedan Wallace in the following round (No. 68 overall).

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, this marks the first time that the Patriots used their first three picks in a draft on offense since 2006. 

“It felt really nicely for us,” Patriots de-facto GM Eliot Wolf said after New England made its third-round pick. “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.”

Polk put together an impressive stat line in 2023 as Washington’s No. 2 receiver behind Rome Odunze — catching 69 passes for 1,159 yards and eight touchdowns. Polk, who said he models his game after Andre Johnson and Keenan Allen, used his 6-foot-2, 204-pound frame to reel in contested catches throughout his time with the Huskies. 

But Wolf stressed that Polk can serve as more than just an outside receiver on this revamped Patriots offense. 

“He’s a guy that we had our eye on for a while,” Wolf said of Polk. “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. … The system that I come from, we never really talked much about X, Z, slot. We just really tried to add really good receivers, and it would end up working out for us. So, we feel like he’s a guy that can play all the positions.”

Versatility was a familiar topic on Day 2 of the draft for New England, with Wolf adding that the Patriots envision Wallace as a left tackle in the NFL ranks. 

The 6-foot-5, 314-pound offensive lineman started 40 games at right tackle for Penn State. 

“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 of Wallace. “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.”

After trading down from No. 34 to No. 37 in the second round before selecting Polk, Wolf acknowledged that New England also considered moving down in the third round. But with tackles sailing off the board in the late second round, the Patriots opted to bring in Wallace before he was plucked up by another team. 

“That’s part of the reason we decided not to move back,” Wolf said of the run on tackles before taking Wallace. “It was like, ‘Let’s not chance it. This is the player we targeted all along any way, let’s just pick him.’”

Wallace would provide a major lift for New England if he makes a successful switch to left tackle at the next level. According to Shrine Bowl Director of Football Ops Eric Galko, Wallace had 51 pass sets against top-100 projected picks in 2024 or 2025 Draft last season. During those reps, Wallace allowed zero sacks and just one hurry. 

“We feel like Caedan has the athleticism to play over on the left side,” Wolf said. “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.”