Bill Belichick’s Patriots stunned analysts and other NFL teams alike when they selected Tennessee-Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange with the 29th pick of the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.
Most analysts slotted Strange as a likely third-round prospect, while the Super Bowl Champion Rams were of the mind that Strange would potentially be available 100 picks or more into the draft.
Never shy to stick to his own rankings and draft board over the years – with extremely mix results, by the way – Belichick filled an obvious team need by nabbing Strange prior to the close of the first round, even with more highly thought of prospects filling other would-be needs still on the board.
The pick came after New England initially traded down from the No. 21 selection with the Kansas City Chiefs, picking up extra day two and day three picks in the process.
Speaking with the local media after the first round, Belichick made it clear that he and the Patriots liked Strange a lot, more than even his selection at No. 29 overall might indicate.
“If we had stayed at 21, then we would have obviously picked somebody. Probably a good chance it would have been him,” Belichick said, declaring that Strange was indeed the best player on the Patriots’ draft board when the 29th pick arrived.
As for the fact that many inside and outside the league had Strange as a much lower-rated prospect, Belichick doesn’t think New England was the only team with an early eye on the feisty interior lineman.
“He wouldn't have lasted much longer,” Belichick declared with confidence that is tough to verify.
One thing that isn’t up for debate is just how much New England likes the 6-5, 307-pound Strange, who started 42 games at left guard in college but is projected by some to be a center in the NFL. He answered some questions about the level of competition he faced with a solid week of work this winter at the Senior Bowl.
“He's long, he's athletic. He's physically tough. He's an aggressive player,” Belichick said of his newest Patriot, who’ll turn 24 this summer. “I think he has a good combination of skills, run and pass, movement, length, strength, again, all of which will hopefully get better, like they will with any player coming from college to the National Football League. But I think he has a good skill set, and he's a smart player that makes a lot of good decisions on the interior line there, timing, when to come off, and combo blocks, things like that.
“But you know, as always, it'll be good to work with a player, but he has a lot to learn and a lot to do.”
So while most of the world is talking about how Belichick and the Patriots could have landed Strange in the second or third round, New England’s personnel boss made it clear he liked the young lineman so much he considered taking him earlier in the first round. At least that’s his story and he’s sticking to it.