Just a few media availabilities in, and Cole Strange already navigates press conferences like a veteran. Arguably the most interesting football-related thing he said during his presser after Tuesday's OTAs was that he's "really just fired up to be out here, working and getting better."
But ask the right question, and Strange will still give you a glimpse of humor.
For example, how's he getting ready for the inevitable rookie talent show every first-year player has to put on the veterans? Why, by practicing some problem-solving skills.
“I already solved a Rubik’s Cube today,” Strange told reporters when asked about his show prep. “… I appreciate you calling it a talent, too, because it’s pretty tough.”
The first-round guard's penchant for solving Rubik's Cubes has already been noted, though this was the first time his hobby, which he said he's been into for "a couple years," has come up to local media.
That prompted one reporter to mention that Strange shares his Rubik Cube enthusiasm with an ex-Patriots to whom he'll certainly be compared to frequently: former left guard Joe Thuney, a third-round pick of New England's back in 2016 who now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Really?" Strange replied when told of Thuney's prowess. "I'll have to work on my algorithms."
Of course, the rookie left guard's day job, like Thuney's, will be paving the road for running backs and protecting the quarterback behind him.
Strange, whom the Patriots selected No. 29 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, is already slotting in at the starting left guard spot Thuney manned for five seasons. He figures to provide a jolt of athleticism and upside to an offensive line that lost its two starting guards -- Shaq Mason and Ted Karras -- from a season ago.
Though his speed, raw strength, and movement skills will be his primary physical tools against the angry defensive linemen standing across from him, being able to problem-solve and think on his feet could prove no less important.
If the rookie Strange can approximate anything near Thuney's abilities -- both physically and mentally -- people might eventually forget how their surprise about the Patriots taking him in the first round.
