New England Patriots Trade 21st Pick, Select Offensive Lineman With 29th in First Round
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New England Patriots Trade 21st Pick, Select Offensive Lineman With 29th in First Round
Cole is a lineman and was slated by Mel Kiper of ESPN to be a late 2nd round pick.
He is 6'5" and 307 pounds.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNow, the Patriots have six total picks in the first four rounds. And the Patriots have five picks in rounds 5 thru 7.
Kansas City selected Trent McDuffie, a cornerback from the University of Washington with the Patriots' 21st pick.
About Strange
Jack Gold of the Chatanooga student newspaper wrote, "Strange was amazing here in his time in Chattanooga and dominated the competition in front of him, but in all honesty, his chances to go up against elite, NFL-level talent were very limited. UTC is a great FCS program, but the difference between talent in the FBS and FCS is large. To be put in perspective, in last year’s NFL draft there were 259 total selections. Of those 259, just six were FCS players. That’s no bash on FCS, it’s just the truth of the matter. To put the Division 1-AA in a better light, this can be said. FCS players that are drafted, like Strange is soon to be, are normally very solid pros."
Rating the Pick
Kiper writes about the selection of Strange, "Why they picked him: The Patriots traded down from No. 21, receiving No. 29 and also third-round (94) and fourth-round (121) picks. So a big part of their Day 1 strategy was to add those midround chips, and then navigate the eight-pick drop and land a player they hope will be a Day 1 starter. Strange, whom several draft analysts projected more as a second- or third-round pick, projects as a plug-and-play starter at left guard. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, a former New England scout, had identified him before the draft as an ideal fit for the Patriots. 'Great-looking, trim, good athlete. He's physical. Really strong hands. A really tenacious player,' he said."