Patriots select OG Cole Strange
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4/5 fit for me. I was high on him. I had him 53rd overall. He was 76th on Arif's CBB.
7th most athletic OG tested since 1987.
Here is what I said about him as a potential good fit:
Cole Strange (Chattanooga) plays with intensity and while he only started three games at offensive tackle during his career, he worked out all over the line at the Senior Bowl. He is another lineman who might be best in a zone scheme, but he has the tenacity and athleticism to play in any scheme.
7th most athletic OG tested since 1987.
Here is what I said about him as a potential good fit:
Cole Strange (Chattanooga) plays with intensity and while he only started three games at offensive tackle during his career, he worked out all over the line at the Senior Bowl. He is another lineman who might be best in a zone scheme, but he has the tenacity and athleticism to play in any scheme.
Like the pick or not - I don't - but the Patriots F.O. is not gonna like that Rams reaction. That's going to ruffle feathers. Looking forward to running it up on them in, ya know...2030.
McVay just made a list. Not sure if its Ernie's, Nike's or BB's personal one - maybe its all three.
McVay will genuflect to Bill next time he sees him, that’s how he rolls. At least if the camera is on him.
Seems fine to me, traded down, picked up some extra draft capital, got a guy they like at a position of need.
People get way too tied to dumb rankings by people who are often wildly off.
People get way too tied to dumb rankings by people who are often wildly off.
No, here's why I'm mad, and I'd assume others:
- They traded Shaq Mason for peanuts. He was on a reasonable contract.
- Guard even after the Mason trade isn't at the top of the priority list
- Guard in the first round is pretty dumb unless the guy is a transcendent talent
- The team had a slow defense to end the season, lost their best defensive player in free agency, and their only free agent signings are a guy who was last not seen in SB52, and another guy who at this point is just kind of a JAG.
These are my thoughts as well. The guy that might have drafted the best QB in last year's draft at 15 needs to be replaced because of this pick. Ok?
Like the player; but with that many good D guys available and it bring a reach, it’s a little frustrating.
See I would say...
1. We have no idea what went into the Mason trade.
2. Guard is near the very top of the priority list, we literally have 1 starting Guard
3. Positional value is dumb, it's particularly dumb in this flat draft where almost everyone agrees there aren't 30 1st round talents (many would say under 20)
4. There are a lot of defensive players still on the board.
Edit- alos I hate when people say "it's a reach" because.... we have no basis for that. We have no idea what any team's board looks like, even the people who spend their entire year doing nothing but this miss on a lot of guys by wide margins (20, 30, 40 picks or more). There is no such thing as a reach.
View: https://twitter.com/MarkDanielsPJ/status/1519883266723037184
View: https://twitter.com/MarkDanielsPJ/status/1519881201510719488
View: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1519879251662540801
View: https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1493364542260322305/video/1
View: https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1493363991967588356/video/1
Agree the rankings end up wacky in retrospect so who knows. But is there any chance he’s not there in the 40s?
Guess we’ll never know, but picking a guy 20-30 slots early isn’t exactly good business.
Shaq Mason at an almost 10M cap number with the level of play he was bringing at this point was not good. He was a cut/restructure candidate for some of us heading into the new league year given the Pats’ cap situation.
yes very much so a chance he goes in the 30s, he's the exact type of guy teams take shots on early 2nd... excellent athlete, small school, Senior Bowl standout against good competition, there isn't some clearly better interior lineman on the board. I think we also saw with Zion and Linderbaum that teams were willing to take IOL early this year.
Honestly I thought he was a 2nd round equivalent talent and the board was pretty flat from here until the 50's or 60's. I don't love the positional value but I think he's going to be a good LG. He reminds me a little of Mankins play style wise.
Dude is also so good in space and as a puller.
Dude is also so good in space and as a puller.
These scouts are making me feel better. Has a beard and fights a lot
Is a Wonderlic of 28 considered “very smart”? Top score is 50. Low bar I guess.
He plays angry because he used to play defense?
View: https://twitter.com/RyanHannable/status/1519886386270191616
Before college, Strange never played offense. He was a defensive end in high school.
View: https://twitter.com/RyanHannable/status/1519886386270191616
Before college, Strange never played offense. He was a defensive end in high school.
So Strange is the 4th OL the Patriots have taken in the 1st round since Bill took over the previous 3 did the following with the Patriots:
#1- 9 seasons 130 games (all starts) 6 probowls, AV of 114
#2- 7 seasons 98 games (95 starts) AV of 57
#3- 3 seasons (so far) 34 games (33 starts) AV of 17, is our current starting LT.
They have done very well at drafting OL.
#1- 9 seasons 130 games (all starts) 6 probowls, AV of 114
#2- 7 seasons 98 games (95 starts) AV of 57
#3- 3 seasons (so far) 34 games (33 starts) AV of 17, is our current starting LT.
They have done very well at drafting OL.
BB talking now, made the Strange pick when he did because he wouldn't have lasted much longer.
BB on Strange: He's long and athetic, aggressive player. Good combination of skills run and pass. Smart player makes good decisions.
BB downplayed the single bar helmet and no gloves look. Also downplayed drafting him for need at a specific position.
Players came off the board how we thought they would, we took the best option that we had at 21 or 29 and made the best choice we could.
BB on Strange: He's long and athetic, aggressive player. Good combination of skills run and pass. Smart player makes good decisions.
BB downplayed the single bar helmet and no gloves look. Also downplayed drafting him for need at a specific position.
Players came off the board how we thought they would, we took the best option that we had at 21 or 29 and made the best choice we could.
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I'll take your word for it.
I honestly don't follow it well enough know, just seeing all the 3rd rd projections, McVay/Snead making fun of BB, etc.
I agree with your overall point that the rankings often don't mean much in the end and he's a good player it's irrelevant in the end.
Always feels like the Patriots are very good drafting Guards and Centers.
Stretch pick at the end of the first round with a mean streak? Sounds like we just found our next Mankins.
Stretch pick at the end of the first round with a mean streak? Sounds like we just found our next Mankins.
Was the current guard depth chart the reason for taking Strange?
Belichick: "Not really. I don't think we ever intentionally go into the draft saying we have to get this position or that position. Sometimes it works out that way, like it did last year and like it did this year."
View: https://twitter.com/RealAlexBarth/status/1519894968529215488
Belichick: "Not really. I don't think we ever intentionally go into the draft saying we have to get this position or that position. Sometimes it works out that way, like it did last year and like it did this year."
View: https://twitter.com/RealAlexBarth/status/1519894968529215488
View: https://twitter.com/_AndrewCallahan/status/1519892503599661061
Those are some absolute freak measurables. Maybe could afford to add some weight, but have to think with those numbers it won't effect him much in terms of explosion, speed and agility.
This offense will depend heavily on the running game again. I can't be mad at replacing Mason with a prospect with Strange.
I concur. I’ll cut up some highlights for you all tonight. IIRC I have to post them to Twitter and then to SOSH.
Look out, Matt! Luckily, he has shown he can truck rogue fans when the need arises.
(Part of a bigger series of tweets)
View: https://twitter.com/chatham58/status/1519890132719091712?s=21&t=_W2LiT6zueqTQzZO71au3Q
(Part of a bigger series of tweets)
View: https://twitter.com/chatham58/status/1519890132719091712?s=21&t=_W2LiT6zueqTQzZO71au3Q
Another way to skin a cat? This is what I saw in some of the video highlights too. With the Pats RB depth, having an elite guard that can get upfield in a hurry is a huge asset and might allow them to dominate the clock. Given their track record with early OL picks, I feel better with this pick than I would w/ BB taking, say, a WR early. I like that he'll be affordable too. More money for other spots.
Here is a link for him at LG vs Kentucky. Watch him as a blocker in space.
I don't have any all-22 of him and I usually download my videos from a database to make cutups but my DB has none of his tape. I am going to see if I can covert the youtube to a video I can edit with VLC. If not I can't make cutups.
I don't have any all-22 of him and I usually download my videos from a database to make cutups but my DB has none of his tape. I am going to see if I can covert the youtube to a video I can edit with VLC. If not I can't make cutups.
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Cool, so it's only a ONE round reach in a wicked important draft, where, more than anything, the team needs to get faster and land more playmakers. Awesome.
EDIT typos.
EDIT typos.
I mean would I have taken him? No. I would have taken Jermaine Johnson at 21. But I don't hate the pick. It looks like a reach now and a fairly big one but let's wait and see. I liked Cole Strange and I am happy he is on the team even if it was at pick 29. If I'm wrong it won't be the first time and certainly not the last.
Edit: I choose to be excited about Cole Strange. I thought he was a fit. I had him as a 2nd round equivalent. Posters (not you, E5) can choose to be angry or upset with the pick but you're missing out rooting for a guy whose playstyle is exactly what the Pats want in OL: Smart, tough, and athletic.
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Or a 3 pick reach? I mean a 2nd round pick vs. the last 4 picks of the 1st is basically indistinguishable.
Something @Super Nomario and I have chatted about before (give credit where it is due) is if you look at their offensive line over the last decade or so they often have a left side and/or center who is athletic and then a right side that is more power. The left guard is often the puller. Big dudes with lots of power but below average speed aren't always the best pullers whereas guys who people think of as zone fits, with a lot of athleticism and + play in space, can be deadly as pullers. So to me this is not really about the Mason trade. I think the Patriots wanted to slot Onwenu in at RG and Mason is more of an RG type for them so it left a hole at LG. Strange is closer to a Thuney/Mankins type than he is a Mason/Onwenu. I can't say this for sure but I think they like zone-profile guys on the left side or at LG. Mankins and Thuney were both thought of as good zone linemen coming out IIRC. If I am not mistaken Mankins was considered a reach then wasn't he?
Bit hard to find post mortems that far back without getting creative with the Wayback Machine, but I did find this gem:
‘They addressed their needs, but they picked all the wrong players. Yeah, everyone says the Pats always know something we don’t, but it doesn’t take a genius to take note of the fact that David Baas, Marcus Johnson and Elton Brown all should have been taken over Logan Mankins, who they could have drafted in the 3rd round anyways. Ellis Hobbs is another bad pick. Not because he’s a bad prospect(He is small with marginal speed, though), but because they could have got him later in the draft. There were a lot of reaches for them in this draft. And I don’t think there was a worse pick overall than the Matt Cassel selection. Give me a break.
Grade: C-‘
Anyways, there are some articles still bouncing around mentioning that Kiper deemed Mankins a reach.
Thank you for finding that. Only time will tell if he works out even close to as well as Mankins did (and of course the odds are he won't as Mankins is a legit HOFer) but I like to keep this in mind when thinking about post draft instant-reactions.
Right. Conversely, I’ve liked some top 50 or so picks that were ultimately sizable disappointments (see Laurence Maroney, Ron Brace). So who knows.