Mel Kiper had a 3rd round grade on Mankins:
View: https://twitter.com/Tom_Sam_Emi/status/1519896708053753857?s=20&t=6U0prIOaj8Tb5YS3eTfM_Q
Patriots select OG Cole Strange
- Thread starter jsinger121
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View: https://twitter.com/Tom_Sam_Emi/status/1519896708053753857?s=20&t=6U0prIOaj8Tb5YS3eTfM_Q
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSV_w5vXsFE&t=12058s
I messed up the link - rewind about one minute from there (and the clip is about 3 minutes long and I started you after 1 minute). Dane Brugler loves the pick. He claps, screams "yes", and says he loves the pick. Didn't think he would be picked here though.
Brugler straight up raves about Cole Strange. That makes me happy. He also mentions his Kentucky game which I linked on page one. They cut just to the OL stuff and it is only 11 minutes and 40 seconds long.
I messed up the link - rewind about one minute from there (and the clip is about 3 minutes long and I started you after 1 minute). Dane Brugler loves the pick. He claps, screams "yes", and says he loves the pick. Didn't think he would be picked here though.
Brugler straight up raves about Cole Strange. That makes me happy. He also mentions his Kentucky game which I linked on page one. They cut just to the OL stuff and it is only 11 minutes and 40 seconds long.
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Thank you for the in-depth breakdown and explanations @SMU_Sox and @Super Nomario. I honestly had no clue how to react this pick in the thread simply because it's hard to notice at times how good or bad the line play is at times as the plays in the trenches happen so fast. I will say this, towards the end of the regular season and the playoffs they just couldn't get those big gaps for Harris and Stevenson nor did we have anyone that could quickly get down the field to throw a critical block.
As stated before by others, whatever gives Jones more time in the pocket and the RB's to set the tone more easily - I'm all for it. Not quite sure if it's a reach after all since this was at the end of 1st round anyway. Plenty of draft capital and talent that is still available to focus on other needs, but that's for another thread. In the meantime, this kid appears to have the tools to be something special. Looking forward to hearing impressions from the coaching staff and teammates once camp opens.
As stated before by others, whatever gives Jones more time in the pocket and the RB's to set the tone more easily - I'm all for it. Not quite sure if it's a reach after all since this was at the end of 1st round anyway. Plenty of draft capital and talent that is still available to focus on other needs, but that's for another thread. In the meantime, this kid appears to have the tools to be something special. Looking forward to hearing impressions from the coaching staff and teammates once camp opens.
It's interesting to hear him talk technique in this preview.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klPpgLJe4Z4
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klPpgLJe4Z4
I don't know the player but I like drafting a smart, atheltic OL, even if it is a guard. 14 year run of Mankins and then Thuney at LG. Mankins, your #1 above, was drafted about where Strange was and considered a reach.
I'm trying to imagine BB saying "What we really love about this guy is the old school helmet and that he doesn't wear gloves" but I just can't do it.
I’m fine taking Strange here. Reach? Maybe. But despite the issues on D, the only way this whole thing works is if you keep Mac from becoming a pancake. We’ve seen too many teams draft QBs and then not protect them, so if this give Mac more space to operate and less chance of having his head taken off, that’s fine with me. I mean, I remember being so happy about Chad Jackson and Laurence Maroney and Ron Brace so it’s not like getting the guy who is the right value pick necessarily works out. If you got a guy who grades out as a first-round talent but has some room to fall, try to trade down, and if you can’t do that anymore, take the guy who is best on your board.
Like most everyone else, I was stunned and disappointed as the pick was announced. So I've got both a glass half-empty and glass half-full perspective.
Half-empty: There were some tremendous talents still on the board, at obvious positions of need. If you look at the game thread, I was pining for Travis Jones. Perfect fit for them, huge, hulk of a man, terrific athlete. Monster DT for a team that desperately needs one. But even if it wasn't him, there were all kinds of options that seemed a better fit. Moreover, it sure FEELS like Strange would be there in round 2, or at least it was a reasonable risk to take to wait, figuring at worst he's not there and you can find a slightly lesser G in a later round. So it seemed like a reach, even if the player himself is good. And when you're drafting in the first round, you don't really want to be reaching. As far as being mocked by other fan bases or organizations, screw them, I couldn't care less about that. Just point to the six Lombardis and ask how many they have. Yeah, it's a bit juvenile. But then, so is mocking a person for a draft pick their team makes, especially when it's made by the greatest HC in the history of the sport who - as I shared from a lengthy ESPN study - has proven to be EXCELLENT at drafting, contrary to common perception (even around here).
Half-full: The dealt an under-performing and aging Shaq Mason (at roughly, what, $10m a year) for a 5th round pick, then traded down from 21 to 29 to add a 3rd and 4th round pick, and then drafted a replacement at G. Moreover, the player himself looks really solid. I have NO doubt that, barring some freak injury, Strange will have a long and very successful NFL career. I don't know about consistent all-pro, but I bet you within a couple of years he's one of the more highly rated G in the NFL. Freak athlete, seems to have a massive mean streak, and the Pats absolutely do well with interior linemen. So it's hard to think that this pick will end up being a swing and a miss. And with the trading, they get younger and much cheaper at G, while still having a quality player there, and they pick up a 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks in the process. If you think of it that way, that's pretty good business. Now they have the following picks:
Long story short: mixed emotions about this selection. But I think we will look back years from now and say, you know, that Cole Strange, I remember when we all got on BB for that, but man he turned out to be a hell of a player.
Half-empty: There were some tremendous talents still on the board, at obvious positions of need. If you look at the game thread, I was pining for Travis Jones. Perfect fit for them, huge, hulk of a man, terrific athlete. Monster DT for a team that desperately needs one. But even if it wasn't him, there were all kinds of options that seemed a better fit. Moreover, it sure FEELS like Strange would be there in round 2, or at least it was a reasonable risk to take to wait, figuring at worst he's not there and you can find a slightly lesser G in a later round. So it seemed like a reach, even if the player himself is good. And when you're drafting in the first round, you don't really want to be reaching. As far as being mocked by other fan bases or organizations, screw them, I couldn't care less about that. Just point to the six Lombardis and ask how many they have. Yeah, it's a bit juvenile. But then, so is mocking a person for a draft pick their team makes, especially when it's made by the greatest HC in the history of the sport who - as I shared from a lengthy ESPN study - has proven to be EXCELLENT at drafting, contrary to common perception (even around here).
Half-full: The dealt an under-performing and aging Shaq Mason (at roughly, what, $10m a year) for a 5th round pick, then traded down from 21 to 29 to add a 3rd and 4th round pick, and then drafted a replacement at G. Moreover, the player himself looks really solid. I have NO doubt that, barring some freak injury, Strange will have a long and very successful NFL career. I don't know about consistent all-pro, but I bet you within a couple of years he's one of the more highly rated G in the NFL. Freak athlete, seems to have a massive mean streak, and the Pats absolutely do well with interior linemen. So it's hard to think that this pick will end up being a swing and a miss. And with the trading, they get younger and much cheaper at G, while still having a quality player there, and they pick up a 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks in the process. If you think of it that way, that's pretty good business. Now they have the following picks:
- Round 2, Pick No. 22 (54th overall)
- Round 3, Pick No. 21 (85th overall)
- Round 3, Pick No. 30 (94th overall)
- Round 4, Pick No. 16 (121st overall)
- Round 4, Pick No. 22 (127th overall)
- Round 5, Pick No. 15 (158th overall)
- Round 6, Pick No. 4 (183rd overall)
- Round 6, Pick No. 22 (200th overall)
- Round 6, Pick No. 32 (210th overall)
- Round 7, Pick No. 24 (245th overall)
Long story short: mixed emotions about this selection. But I think we will look back years from now and say, you know, that Cole Strange, I remember when we all got on BB for that, but man he turned out to be a hell of a player.
I like the player. Bill might have attempted to trade down a little into the second to get him, but no takers. Strange was obviously at the top of the Patriot’s draft board. If he’s an above average starter and turns into a pro bowler, it will be a fine pick. The Patriots want to run the ball down their opponent’s throat and he’s a fine run blocker. Take the safe pick in the first, and use the many of the remaining picks to add speed on defense.
To be fair McVay has never made a first round selection so he really doesn't know what that looks like.
I trust the staff when it comes to OL drafting. Their record here is pretty good. Like everyone, I wasn’t familiar with this guy but I like what I’m reading. The McVay reaction is getting a lot of press but I’m sure it’s borne out of residual bitterness from BB pantsing him in his first SB. Too bad the Bengals couldn’t close the deal.
Pay no attention to McVeigh and the Rams. We are ALL stunned at the pick, even if - when we think about it - we like it. So yeah, it's a surprise. And McVeigh is a smart cookie, but they've built their powerhouse by trading away picks and signing a million free agents, not by drafting. They literally haven't had a first round pick since 2016 (Goff). And here's the first pick they've taken in each of the last 5 drafts:
2017: TE Gerald Everett
2018: OL Joseph Noteboom
2019: S Taylor Rapp
2020: RB Cam Akers
2021: WR Tutu Atwell
Not terrible, but not exactly a who's-who of NFL stars.
2017: TE Gerald Everett
2018: OL Joseph Noteboom
2019: S Taylor Rapp
2020: RB Cam Akers
2021: WR Tutu Atwell
Not terrible, but not exactly a who's-who of NFL stars.
I'd guess that is going to ruffle some feathers throughout the NFL not just in Foxboro.
Strange wasn't the name I was hoping to hear. However, looking at evaluations rather than rankings, he sounds like he should be a good player and is an excellent fit.
The pick was not what I expected to see, and certainly not sexy for us fans.
But if you're calling it a reach, do you simply mean that it's different than what the media guys had in their mock drafts, or do you think you're sure this guy would still have been available when the Pats pick again?
As to the former, if this guy is good than the analysts just happen to be wrong again. I certainly trust Bill to have a better read than you on the latter (no matter who you are that is posting on SOSH).
I would imagine if you re-ordered past drafts based on how good the picks' careers ended up being, it would not be at all uncommon for guys who were projected by the analysts to be R2 or R3 guys to be #29. Probably quite a few R4 and R5 guys for that matter.
But if you're calling it a reach, do you simply mean that it's different than what the media guys had in their mock drafts, or do you think you're sure this guy would still have been available when the Pats pick again?
As to the former, if this guy is good than the analysts just happen to be wrong again. I certainly trust Bill to have a better read than you on the latter (no matter who you are that is posting on SOSH).
I would imagine if you re-ordered past drafts based on how good the picks' careers ended up being, it would not be at all uncommon for guys who were projected by the analysts to be R2 or R3 guys to be #29. Probably quite a few R4 and R5 guys for that matter.
If BB had picked a defender at 21, then bundled later picks to move up to 29 to grab Strange much too early (according to conventional wisdom), I would be thrilled. Strange is an elite athlete for the position, so his success will turn on fundamentals; there’s no one I trust more than BB and his team to assess that.
But I think it was a mistake not to take a swing on a high-potential defensive player when several were available, given the needs just about everywhere on that side of the ball.
But I think it was a mistake not to take a swing on a high-potential defensive player when several were available, given the needs just about everywhere on that side of the ball.
The more that I think of it, the more I think that the Pats decided to take a "sure thing" second rounder than a first round "boom or bust" player, likely because they wanted to avoid high cost of busting in the first round. It's better to get a guy who they know can play than it is to get a guy who might become a complete bust pick, like Malcolm Brown and N'Keal Harry, or to be significantly underwhelming for a first round pick, like Sony Michel and Isaiah Wynn. IOW, it's better to get a "sure second rounder" in the first, than it is to get a guy who ends up performing like a middle-round pick or, worse, doesn't really belong in the NFL.
I was mortified last night when I saw the pick, seeing twitter blow up and how every mock draft had him going late 2-3.
This morning I don't love it but I have come around somwhat.
-Finding out Strange RAS score ranked 7 out of OG from 1987 to 2022 is astounding.
-BB might miss on a WR round 1 but he sure as hell isn't going to miss on a guard. The guy is going to be a staple on the offensive line for the next five years. I have no worries about "bust" with this pick.
-BB at his press conference said he expected Stange to come off the board soon. I take him for his word all it takes is one other team.
-They got a pretty good haul from the chiefs. Lets see what they do tonight.
II just hate using a 1st round pick on a guard, but if he becomes a Mankins/Thuney no one is going to care.
This morning I don't love it but I have come around somwhat.
-Finding out Strange RAS score ranked 7 out of OG from 1987 to 2022 is astounding.
-BB might miss on a WR round 1 but he sure as hell isn't going to miss on a guard. The guy is going to be a staple on the offensive line for the next five years. I have no worries about "bust" with this pick.
-BB at his press conference said he expected Stange to come off the board soon. I take him for his word all it takes is one other team.
-They got a pretty good haul from the chiefs. Lets see what they do tonight.
II just hate using a 1st round pick on a guard, but if he becomes a Mankins/Thuney no one is going to care.
I get that some people are upset that we may have “wasted” draft capital on a guy. And I understand that the Pats have seem to have had a higher number of draft busts in the last six years or so than previously.
But I’d be interested to know how the Pats have done drafting guys who are “reaches” versus guys who they drafted in expected slots. While we all remember Mankins and Vollmer as hits, there were also guys like Tavon Wilson (tho he seemed to do ok in Detroit).
Are the Pats any better or worse when they buck convention?
But I’d be interested to know how the Pats have done drafting guys who are “reaches” versus guys who they drafted in expected slots. While we all remember Mankins and Vollmer as hits, there were also guys like Tavon Wilson (tho he seemed to do ok in Detroit).
Are the Pats any better or worse when they buck convention?
1st or 2nd round picks used by BB on the OL during his tenure with NE:
2000 2nd- Adrian Klemm (yuck)
2001 2nd - Matt Light (home run)
2005 1st - Logan Mankins (home run)
2009 2nd - Sebastian Vollmer (quality selection)
2011 1st - Nate Solder (excellent pick)
2018 1st - Isaiah Wynn (mixed bag; injury prone but a good, versatile player)
So on the whole, a pretty good draft record. One swing and a miss (Klemm), one talented guy who's struggled with injuries (Wynn), and four outstanding selections (Light, Mankins, Solder, Vollmer).
You have to feel pretty good, at least, about the prospects of Strange being a really good NFL player. Doesn't mean it was the right pick at that spot (doesn't mean it wasn't), but I have a high level of confidence that he will be terrific.
*Edit: Added Vollmer, thanks to @Ferm Sheller
2000 2nd- Adrian Klemm (yuck)
2001 2nd - Matt Light (home run)
2005 1st - Logan Mankins (home run)
2009 2nd - Sebastian Vollmer (quality selection)
2011 1st - Nate Solder (excellent pick)
2018 1st - Isaiah Wynn (mixed bag; injury prone but a good, versatile player)
So on the whole, a pretty good draft record. One swing and a miss (Klemm), one talented guy who's struggled with injuries (Wynn), and four outstanding selections (Light, Mankins, Solder, Vollmer).
You have to feel pretty good, at least, about the prospects of Strange being a really good NFL player. Doesn't mean it was the right pick at that spot (doesn't mean it wasn't), but I have a high level of confidence that he will be terrific.
*Edit: Added Vollmer, thanks to @Ferm Sheller
You forgot Vollmer, who was an excellent second rounder.
EDIT: And Vollmer was a massive reach, BTW.
An excellent summary of both sides of the story. One other element that one might be able to add to the positive view of this pick, especially in conjunction with the Mason trade, is that this might unlock a better use of Onwenu at RG (as per SMU's (I think it was his) evaluation of the different skillsets for LG vs RG in the Patriot system).
I wonder if Ali Marpet is a good comp here -- a guard from a small school who rose up at the Combine and Senior Bowl, very athletic, high Wonderlic.
Marpet: 6'-4", 307, 4.98 (40), 30 reps (bench), 7.33 (3-cone)
Strange: 6'-5", 304, 5.03, 31, 7.44
Not sure why everyone is just assuming the guy is going to be the next Mankins…he did miss on Wynn after having success with Solder and Light. Also, Bill’s GREAT at finding at finding cornerbacks as UDFA, but how many misses in the second round on the Cyrus Jones types. Guards are simply not that important of a position in that they are much more easily replaceable than other more critical positions, and there’s a reason they’re paid less. With such glaring needs on defense, passing on premier position prospects to take the one position that you personally have proven you can fill with pro bowl caliber players in the middle rounds is nuts.
The only way this is bad is if 1) Strange is one of those BB tunnel vision picks (if you believe that BB does that) or 2) they moved down from 21 to 29 in the expectation that at least one of three guys they really wanted would still be on the board at 29, but all of them were gone and Strange was a fallback option.
Something like #2 seemed to happen to the Boston Bruins in 2003. But the NFL is different in terms of how drafting and player development work. I think it is less likely that BB screwed up in this way.
Something like #2 seemed to happen to the Boston Bruins in 2003. But the NFL is different in terms of how drafting and player development work. I think it is less likely that BB screwed up in this way.
The Bruins held the 16th pick in the draft that year, and traded down from 16 to 21 to pick up a couple of additional picks that, if I recall correctly, did not amount to much.
Then, between pick 16 and 20, three excellent players went off the board: 400-goal scorer Zach Parise, 1,000-point scorer Ryan Getzlaf, and 750-point defenseman Brent Burns.
At 21, Boston drafted journeyman D Mark Stuart, who had a mediocre 673 game career as a bottom pair defenseman.
As I recall, the Bruins represented after the draft that they might have taken Stuart at 21 and that they moved down because they had a bunch of guys on their board, any one of whom they would have been happy to have. Did they really have Stuart in mind as a guy they wanted at 21? Who knows. But if they moved down expecting at least one of Parise or Getzlaf or Burns to slide then that was quite a miss.
But some of the sting of that miss was taken away by the fact that the Bruins drafted arguably the best player in that draft: franchise icon Patrice Bergeron, who just scored his own 400th goal last night.
Then, between pick 16 and 20, three excellent players went off the board: 400-goal scorer Zach Parise, 1,000-point scorer Ryan Getzlaf, and 750-point defenseman Brent Burns.
At 21, Boston drafted journeyman D Mark Stuart, who had a mediocre 673 game career as a bottom pair defenseman.
As I recall, the Bruins represented after the draft that they might have taken Stuart at 21 and that they moved down because they had a bunch of guys on their board, any one of whom they would have been happy to have. Did they really have Stuart in mind as a guy they wanted at 21? Who knows. But if they moved down expecting at least one of Parise or Getzlaf or Burns to slide then that was quite a miss.
But some of the sting of that miss was taken away by the fact that the Bruins drafted arguably the best player in that draft: franchise icon Patrice Bergeron, who just scored his own 400th goal last night.
The Athletic hates this pick (which makes me maybe like it more?)
There is a piece of me that wonders whether Bill sees something in Strange’s smarts (as opposed to his pure athletic ability) that made him want to jump here. It sounds like he at least contemplated picking him at 21 before trading back – which, combined with the Mason trade, suggests to me that perhaps he envisions Strange as more of a Thuney replacement than just a plug and play guy. We’ll see I guess. But it would explain Bill placing a higher valuation on Strange than, say, Kiper.
Wynn is a 'relative' miss. He's a starting LT in the NFL and there is reason to at least think it possible that we haven't seen his best yet.
He's not a miss like N'Keal Harry, Dominique Easley, or - going into the wayback machine - Chris Canty. (The thing I remember most about Canty was him getting a sack on a corner blitz on one of those rare occasions when he got to play. And I remember it because he went into his celebration dance while play was live and the ball was loose, forced by his sack).
I get the sense that BB felt that the offensive line needed a tougher edge. A bit of nastiness, if you will. When you draft a kid like Strange with an elite athletic profile at the position, it’s not only his physical traits that you’re evaluating, it’s his ability to influence the guys around him.
Some of the commentary suggests that he is also a potential center. Maybe they view him as an eventual replacement for Andrews.
Wasn’t Dugger another guy from a small school who many thought the Pats were really reaching on?
"Small school" is an understatement. I doubt many of us had ever heard of Lenoir-Rhyne before. I know I hadn't. Ironically, my daughter's college basketball team played Lenoir-Rhyne this year and I was like, hey, I know who that is now!
Wynn's biggest issue is that he's dealt with unpredictable, random injuries: popped his Achilles in his first training camp, untimely turf toe injury his 2nd year, and missed the last 6 games of his 3rd with a knee injury. Disappointing, but not sure I would put him in the true bust or even "miss" category.
I tend to be skeptical of reports that claim player X will be there 30 or 40 picks later; maybe the Rams didn't rate him very highly, but all it takes is one other GM out of 31 to take him off the board. If Strange ends up a perennial Pro Bowler (for sure a high bar for any player picked at 29), then the fact the Pats took a guard/center in the first round will matter a lot less.
While I don't expect Bill to use all of his remaining 10 picks, I will be seriously disappointed if he punts most of the Day 2/3 picks into 2023. I'd like to see the Pats consolidate some of their capital and move up and grab some defensive players, as they really need to get some youth onto the defensive roster sooner rather than later.
I tend to be skeptical of reports that claim player X will be there 30 or 40 picks later; maybe the Rams didn't rate him very highly, but all it takes is one other GM out of 31 to take him off the board. If Strange ends up a perennial Pro Bowler (for sure a high bar for any player picked at 29), then the fact the Pats took a guard/center in the first round will matter a lot less.
While I don't expect Bill to use all of his remaining 10 picks, I will be seriously disappointed if he punts most of the Day 2/3 picks into 2023. I'd like to see the Pats consolidate some of their capital and move up and grab some defensive players, as they really need to get some youth onto the defensive roster sooner rather than later.
The media's obsession with their boards and if a team goes against it, it is clearly a reach and the player definitely would have been there 2 rounds later is idiotic.
Every analyst, scout, and gm talking about Strange loves him and he rated extremely highly in all the metrics.
So we are supposed to believe that just because you can get average guard play in the 4th round, no team in the early to mid-second round might look at a player who is highly rated on their board and decide to draft them to be a core piece of there line for years to come?
It is crazy for them to be so confident that a player everyone agrees has great traits and measurements would be there in two more rounds.
Every analyst, scout, and gm talking about Strange loves him and he rated extremely highly in all the metrics.
So we are supposed to believe that just because you can get average guard play in the 4th round, no team in the early to mid-second round might look at a player who is highly rated on their board and decide to draft them to be a core piece of there line for years to come?
It is crazy for them to be so confident that a player everyone agrees has great traits and measurements would be there in two more rounds.
Seems like the Patriots liked their guy, and were operating under the following assumption:
Similarly, if the pool of talent is relatively flat, you're not going to get too much more interest in a trade back. And there's the whole contract aspect of a first rounder.
So basically, whatever the mock rankings put them, you have a huge "upper middle class" of draft prospects, with the Patriots including Strange in there. Maybe they loved Johnson and once he was off the board they didn't like their odds beyond Strange. Or maybe they liked 2-3 guys at the interior and hated the rest of the draft. One round is a long time if you like a guy. Under these assumptions the only way this pick was really bad is if no one else had Strange rated among the top 50+. That might be possible, but it only takes one team to f you here.
Similarly, if the pool of talent is relatively flat, you're not going to get too much more interest in a trade back. And there's the whole contract aspect of a first rounder.
I don't know if the pick will turn out to be a good one or not. I don't know if Strange will be a good player regardless of the where he was picked.
I do know that when Sean McVay faced a Belichick team in the Super Bowl he got absolutely pantsed in front of the whole country, so his reaction means nothing and he should probably STFU and think that perhaps he can learn something when the guy that exposed him for a title makes a pick that seems unusual.
At the very least, can we agree that it's better to have Strange at #29 and KC's 3rd and 4th round picks than it is to have Strange at #21 (which, let's face it, could have happened)?
I think it's fair to question the logic of picking an interior lineman in the first round when it's generally a relatively easy position to fill and when the Pats have a huge talent issue on the defense. I agree that the "could have had him later" stuff is just dumb. Sure, maybe they could have but maybe not. Nobody knows how every team values prospects and things always change during a draft that cause teams to move up and grab guys.
I'm fine with BB and crew locking in their guy. What I'm more concerned about is the opportunity cost of doing so.
I do think people are reading too much into McVay’s words. In some ways I legit think he was trying to be complimentary.
You have to realize that the pick he mentions is literally the Rams’ first pick in this draft. He wanted the guy with the first pick they had.
Don't want to sidetrack the thread too much so if you want to debate over PM that's cool...but if Strange has a career as solid as Brown I think that's a win. Obviously different positions but Brown has played in 106 of a possible 113 regular season games, and started in 97 of those. He was also a starter on 2 super bowl winning teams. And I get that the following metrics are not an exact science but I do think they inform us of something - how was drafted 32nd, and per Pro-Football-Reference his approximate draft value* is 30th, and his career value** is 22nd
*defined as accumulated value for team that drafted him
**overall career value
I'm so glad you posted this while I was writing above because I was about to make the same point. I also think there's a real chance at the scenario that's been laid out upthread that Bill tried to trade back 5-10 spots and snag him there, but couldn't find any takers...and didn't want to risk going any lower and losing him.
To be fair, since that pantsing, the Rams have 5 playoff wins and a SB victory. The Pats have 0 playoff wins since then.
My point is that McVay's reaction shows a startling lack of self-awareness and in general he should STFU about other teams' draft picks. Belichick held your powerhouse offense to 3 measley points in the fucking SB, mind your manners you soulless ginger asshole.
And the Rams did that by saying "fuck them picks." Making McVay's reaction even more nonsensical.
This is how I actually took it. I thought McVay was more like, "you have to be kidding me he took our guy" kind of thing. McVay has always shown a tremendous amount of respect for Belichick, so it would be hard for me to believe that he's just laughing at him here.
I'm wondering if the position is being re-evaluated by some in the league, and now has more value/importance than it used to. With so many different defensive looks being used now, including A gap blitzes and various other interior pressure schemes, seem like the position is morphing from just road-grading, run-blocker, into also being a more vital part of pass protection. The length, athleticism, and intelligence BB mentioned in regard to Strange would seem to play into that. Maybe some good exploitation of a market inefficiency being practiced here.
My first reaction to the McVay video was that it was supremely disrespectful to Strange - basically a kid/new adult.
He knew that he was on camera. All he needed to say was ‘he’s a great player and someone who we thought could slip to us at 104’. It conveys exactly the same sentiment but in a way that doesn’t make him look like an asshole or takes some of the air out of the elation that Strange must be feeling.
Either way, I’m sure that Strange will stay a bit longer in the weight room this summer thinking about that comment.
He knew that he was on camera. All he needed to say was ‘he’s a great player and someone who we thought could slip to us at 104’. It conveys exactly the same sentiment but in a way that doesn’t make him look like an asshole or takes some of the air out of the elation that Strange must be feeling.
Either way, I’m sure that Strange will stay a bit longer in the weight room this summer thinking about that comment.
I had the same reaction. More, of a "holy crap, Bill likes him that much. Shows what I know" thing. I don't actually think he was mocking BB or the Pick.