Dante Scarnecchia is one of the most decorated offensive line coaches in NFL history. So what does he think of Cole Strange?
Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston recently asked Scarnecchia about the Chattanooga guard. Though Scarnecchia hasn’t scouted Strange, he still provides valuable insight into the Patriots’ possible thinking behind their surprising first round pick.
“I know anytime you take a lineman in the first round, it's not a glamorous pick for fans,” Scarnecchia said. “I don't know what they thought of Logan Mankins, but he was one of the best that's ever played and certainly one of the best two to ever do it for the Patriots.”
If Strange turns out to be Logan Mankins, who’s a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate, then nobody will second-guess the pick in hindsight. But the two situations are different. The Patriots selected Mankins at No. 32 overall when they were coming off their third Super Bowl win in four years. There weren’t many pressing needs elsewhere on the roster.
This year, they traded down from No. 21 to No. 29 for Strange, who few draft analysts expected to go in the first or even second round. Meanwhile, the Patriots still lack dependable cornerbacks and linebackers.
But Scarnecchia says Bill Belichick knows his teams strengths and weaknesses better than anybody else.
“Everybody has high expectations when you go into the draft, especially in fandom where we are," Scarnecchia said. "But inside the building, they know what their needs are and what they're looking for. The rest of us don't really know the whole story.”
Essentially, Scarnecchia is spouting the “In Belichick We Trust” line. We would feel a lot better about that if he were still around.