USA TODAY grades Day 2 NFL draft picks of Penn State players
After watching two players get drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Day 1 of the draft, Penn State saw two more of its players be drafted by NFL franchises on Day 2. Offensive tackle Caedan Wallace may have gone a little earlier than some expected, and defensive end Adisa Isaac looks like a bit of a bargain as a late third-round draft pick. But how are those picks being graded?
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA TODAY Sports graded every pick from Day 12 of the NFL draft and was seemingly not too impressed with the decisions by two teams to draft Penn State players.
The New England Patriots selected offensive tackle Caedan Wallace with an early third-round draft pick on Day 2, but Middlehurst-Scwartz was not convinced Wallace would be the type of player that could be reliable in protecting the Patriots’ first-round quarterback, Drake Maye of North Carolina. He gave the Patriots a “C” grade for their pick of Wallace.
“[Patriots general manager] Eliot Wolf’s mission to reconfigure New England’s offense continues, as he turns his attention to the Patriots’ front,” Middlehurst-Scwartz said in his breakdown. “Wallace can handle some kind of role along the line, but serving as Drake Maye’s blindside protector seems like a stretch.”
He was a bit more optimistic about the Baltimore Ravens making the decision to draft Adisa Isaac late in the third round. Middlehurst-Schwartz gave the Ravens a “B+” with their selection of the Penn State edge rusher.
“It’s difficult to find pass rushers with premium traits beyond the first two rounds, but the 6-4, 247-pound Isaac boasts the frame and burst to ascend to a starting role,” Middlehurst-Schwartz said. “Though he needs more of a plan in his rushes, he could be an important part of the Ravens’ reloading effort on defense.”
You can see all of USA TODAY’s draft grades for every pick of the second and third rounds to see how your favorite NFL team did. You can also see all of the first-round draft grades, which were solid for the Jets drafting Olu Fashanu and the Dolphins selecting Chop Robinson.
Catch all of the latest updates from the NFL draft with USA TODAY’s live draft tracker. For a look at each Penn State draft prospect, be sure to check out our Penn State NFL draft tracker.
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