Cole Strange

Cole Strange -- an interior offensive lineman out of Chattanooga -- was arguably the most surprising pick of the first round at No. 29 overall. This is a move ...

Especially since it's conceivable the Patriots could've had McDuffie and Strange at No. 21 and No. 54, respectively. Mason went in the fourth. The Patriots apparently wanted to get cheaper there. It's reflected in their salaries across the league. But Thuney was selected in the third round. The skill sets players at those positions possess can be hard to find. That's not the case at guard. The Rams apparently thought he could make it to them at pick No. 104, which is the second-to-last Day 2 choice this year. Cole Strange -- an interior offensive lineman out of Chattanooga -- was arguably the most surprising pick of the first round at No. 29 overall. Though he comes from a smaller program, what he did at the Senior Bowl should make the Patriots comfortable handing him a real role as a rookie. They traded back out of No. 21 to add third and fourth-round picks late Thursday night. He's a Prototypical Patriot.

By most accounts, Cole Strange was destined to become a mid-round pick. That is, until the Patriots drafted him 29th overall Thursday night.

“You know, again, a lot of times teams call, and if you open the conversation, then they go further, and if you don’t, then they don’t. Then you make your pick.” Strange then took off at the NFL combine, where he tested as one of the most athletic guards of the past 30 years. Two things, Pats fans: 1) majority of teams we spoke w/ had second round grades on Cole Strange; 2) the dude can play. He was the No. 74 player in this class according to NFL Network analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah and 77th-best over at ESPN, signs Strange would’ve been an early third-round pick. His profile fit the Patriots’ mold at offensive line to a T: smart, versatile, tough and athletic enough. NFL media scout Lance Zierlein also gave Strange a second-round grade.

Patriots surprised a lot of people by drafting Cole Strange in the first round: 'I was shocked to see him go that early'. Related: Rams' reaction to Patriots ...

And for good reason: Strange is an outstanding athlete and a legitimate starter-level guard from Day 1. “Just picking good players is the key if you like them.” The selection caught a lot of people by surprise — including on the Pats Pulpit Draft Show — mainly because of Strange’s small-school status and pre-draft projections. He played well against good competition at Chattanooga, both in their conference and when they played up, and I thought he played well against competition at the Senior Bowl,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said about his team’s rather polarizing pick after the end of the first round on Thursday night. This time was the time for a shocker: offensive lineman Cole Strange out of Chattanooga. Thursday night served as another reminder of that.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick feels that their first-round draft pick has 'a lot to offer.

“We will have a lot of time to rest and restack the board. “There are always options when you are on the clock. “If we had stayed at 21, there is probably a good chance it would have been him [Strange]. We had conversations with some other teams before making the trade. The Senior Bowl was a part of that. With their selection of Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange with the 29th selection, they have attempted to fill that void. He has a good style of play, good skill set.

Rams head coach Sean McVay didn't have a first-round pick of his own to discuss during a Thursday night press conference, but he was keeping an eye on what ...

Glad Cole was there when we picked, and as I said, feel like we made the best decision that we could at 21.” I don’t know, there were several teams that we talked to prior to when we made the trade. The Pats picked guard Cole Strange and McVay reacted with surprise.

Based on the pre-draft buzz, it seemed likely they would take a cornerback, linebacker or offensive lineman. Even a wide receiver or edge rusher weren't out of ...

Based on the pre-draft buzz, it seemed likely they would take a cornerback, linebacker or offensive lineman. As a five-year starter at left guard for the Mocs, he should be a plug-and-play draft pick for Belichick. With that said, Patriots fans will always refer back to picks No. 21-29 and wonder what could have been had the team not jumped the gun for the talented lineman. With studs like Trent McDuffie, Quay Walker, Kaiir Elam and Daxton Hill all still on the board, the Patriots struck a deal with the Chiefs to move back to pick No. 29, which they used on Chattanooga OL Cole Strange.

“He played well against competition at the Senior Bowl,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick about Strange said during his post-draft media conference call on ...

It comes as no surprise that the Patriots put a lot of stock in this single week, as evidenced by their recent draft selections. Shaq Mason, Joe Thuney, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and Trey Flowers are also among those participating in the event in their respective draft years before becoming contributors on some of the recent Patriots Super Bowl-winning teams. That list includes three first-rounders as well as Kyle Dugger, who was the fifth player selected in the second round of his respective draft. What makes the Senior Bowl an effective evaluation tool in the pre-draft process is that it is the closest simulation of the NFL grind. Players spend a week down in Mobile, AL, and work with NFL coaches on technique and drills against other draft hopefuls. They played a couple SEC teams and his workout was pretty good, as well.

Initial reaction from around the NFL was one of surprise after watching the Patriots select Cole Strange at No. 29 overall. Our Phil Perry talked to an AFC ...

There's a lot to like there, a lot to work with ... How long would he have lasted into the second? There's depth into the third round at linebacker. And the guard spot is among their greatest needs at the moment. The Patriots head honcho had his sights set on Strange early and ended up getting who he wanted. His size and (depending on who you ask) concerns about his ability to tackle in run support on the outside may have encouraged Bill Belichick to look elsewhere. McDuffie is smart and versatile and there are no questions about his ability to stick with his assignments in coverage.

Bill Belichick was very predictable in the 2022 NFL Draft with the Patriots' Cole Strange selection.

It also loves taking its “guys” – players who are likely way higher on the Pats’ boards than anyone else’s. Like when they took wide receiver N’Keal Harry over Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown in 2019. New England loves trading back in the draft. Then, with that pick, they drafted Chattanooga guard Cole Strange, a player many predicted to go in the third round.

Meet Cole Strange, the Patriots' first-round draft pick who rocks a crossbar face mask and no gloves. Read more on Boston.com.

“I looked at the guys who were putting on tons of tape and gloves, and then wrist braces, and then taping again. “I never really planned any kind of any part of my game-day get-up to look a certain way,” Strange told USA Today’s Draft Wire. “As far as the face masks, that’s just something that me and some of the boys came together and thought it would be cool. “It was good for me, I think as far as exposure, because I think it was helpful for a lot of NFL teams to see me competing against guys who were at that level,” Strange told USA Today’s Draft Wire. ”I know that anyone who comes from FCS, the first thing of our question is competition. He said the facemask is a style he and his friends thought would be cool. Strange red-shirted his freshman season at Chattanooga. He made six starts the next season, and 11 each as a red-shirt sophomore and junior. I was all for everything, but the sole reason I didn’t end up going there is because of family.”

Fans mostly commented "Who?!" after the Pats made their first round pick and questioned why "The Hoodie" decided to go with the lesser known player to kick off ...

Hopefully the local spot has some good New England clam chowder and lobster so Strange can get a real taste of his new home. At those two points, we felt like we made the best choice that we could. ... We took the best option that we had, whether it was at 21 or 29 -- whatever it ended up being, 29. "Yeah, I mean, we feel like that was a good -- a guy that fits well -- Cole fits well into our team and our system, and obviously think he's a good player. The New England Patriots selected guard Cole Strange from UT-Chattanooga with the No. 29 overall pick, obviously. OK, it was not obvious, at all.

The New England Patriots took a player that few expected to go in the first round: Chattanooga guard Cole Strange.

But that doesn’t mean they didn’t land a high-quality player. Chattanooga guard Cole Strange was the Patriots pick at 29th overall. The New England Patriots took a player that few expected to go in the first round.

A day after being selected by the Pats, offensive lineman Cole Strange was introduced to the media inside Gillette Stadium.

I know there's going to be a lot of work involved and I actively look forward to that." Getting drafted first, that's a dream come true but there's a lot of work to do," said Strange. "I'm going to put the work in, I know for a fact it's going to be a battle. "I don't really know what to say other than that, I'm so happy to be here.