The Patriots added an offensive weapon in wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk for new quarterback Drake Maye in the second round. Now they’re looking to protect him with their third-round pick.

The Patriots selected Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace with the 68th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Wallace, 24, started at right tackle for the Nittany Lions over the last four seasons.

A scout said the Patriots are getting a player who is “big, long and strong. Super steady, but not flashy.”

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Director of scouting Eliot Wolf said the Patriots feel that Wallace is athletic enough to play left tackle in the NFL and that they feel he can play both tackle and guard spots.

The Patriots had “exploratory” talks to move back from No. 68 overall but ultimately decided against it since Wallace was the player they were targeting all along. A run on offensive tackles that started at No. 55 overall when the Dolphins selected Houston’s Patrick Paul also influenced the team’s decision to stay put.

The 6-foot-5, 314-pound offensive lineman ran a 5.15-second 40-yard dash with a 31-inch vertical leap, 9-too, 8-inch broad jump, 4.96-second short shuttle and 7.73-second 3-cone drill during the pre-draft process. He has ideal length for the position with 34-inch arms and an 82 5/8-inch wingspan.

Wallace allowed just one sack in each of his last two college seasons. In 2023, Wallace allowed just 13 total pressures. He missed five games in 2022 with an ankle injury.

The Robbinsville, N.J.-native played left tackle, right tackle and guard in high school.

He joins Calvin Anderson, David Andrews, Jake Andrews, Michael Jordan, Nick Leverett, Vederian Lowe, Atonio Mafi, Conor McDermott, Chukwuma Okorafor, Mike Onwenu, Sidy Sow, Cole Strange, Andrew Stueber and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. on the Patriots’ offensive line.

Wallace took a visit with the Patriots during the pre-draft process and impressed the team.