Patriots' Most Impactful Rookie for 2024 Season Revealed

Who is the year one player to watch for the New England Patriots?

Jun 10, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (70) walks to the practice fields for minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots enter the 2024 season with a collection of first-year players primed to make an impact.

Amid the Patriots' shift into a new regime, this front office opted to draft an array of fresh offensive talent, headlined by the significant adds of third-overall pick Drake Maye and a pair of receivers in Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. 2023 was one of the worst years for New England on the offensive side of the ball in recent memory, so this team put some major emphasis where it was necessary.

However, while the additions of a new QB and two WRs are the ones that jump off the page, the Patriots could have another rookie in the ranks primed to have a significant role from the jump in this offense-- that being third-round selection Caedan Wallace, a 24-year-old offensive tackle from Penn State.

In a recent SI roundtable, when projecting who in New England would have the most impactful rookie season, I labeled Wallace as being the player to watch on the Patriots as this team continues to move through the motions of ironing out their offensive line:

"All eyes will be on Drake Maye, but Wallace will have a ton of responsibility protecting Maye’s blindside. New England selected him with the expectation he could transition and fill their hole at left tackle, yet how that shift goes remains to be seen, considering he played mainly right tackle during his time at Penn State."

- Me

Of course, the big ticket of this Patriots rookie class is Drake Maye, but it remains to be seen how much we'll see of him during his first-year pro. New England has already hinted at taking this process slowly with their new franchise QB, naming Jacoby Brissett as QB1 entering into training camp. His time on the field will come in due time, but 2024 could still be limited.

Both Polk and Baker will have their fair share of reps as well, but it will also be alongside a loaded WR room with other productive candidates like Kendrick Bourne, Pop Douglas, and even JuJu Smith-Schuster in a potential bounce-back campaign. Again, their time on the field will come, but that opportunity may vary.

As for Wallace, he could have a significant spot in this offensive line, depending on how well his camp sessions go. New England is currently armed with a starting tackle duo of offseason addition Chukwuma Okorafor from the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with Calvin Anderson on the right side of Mike Onwenu plays his natural guard position-- Anderson being someone who only started two games for the Patriots in 2023.

The Patriots clearly need some more security up front, and that improvement can start with Wallace. New England would likely feel better about him starting on the right side since that's where he spent his college days positioned, but his transition into a left tackle could be the ultimate goal for this coaching staff.

As with any young quarterback, getting the offensive line right is a must. If Wallace can enter the fold as a plug-and-play starter on either side, it could mean big things for the future of this offense moving forward. The quicker the front lines are mended, the better.

Maye is the future in Foxboro, but don't underestimate how important the development of this offensive line is as well.

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