The New England Patriots have addressed the interior offensive line with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
After trading away the 21st overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pats selected guard Cole Strange at No. 29.
If you ask our Phil Perry, it's a selection that was a little bit out of left field -- even by Bill Belichick's standards ...
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Here's what Perry wrote about Strange in his Prototypical Patriots series:
Strange may not hail from the SEC, but he moves like maybe he should've been recruited there. Tap his name into Mockdraftable.com for some comparisons to other interior linemen of similar heights, weights and athletic testing measures? The first two names you'll see are Thuney and recently-retired Bucs guard Ali Marpet. Plus, he ticks the "smart" and "tough" boxes as well.
This Senior Bowl standout was a five-year starter on the offensive line. He played both left guard and left tackle last season, and during the build up to the draft, he's also worked out at center. Versatile, athletic, smart and tough? Feels like a fit.
Strange, a 6-foot-6, 300-pounder, fills a void at the guard position left by the departures of Ted Karras and Shaq Mason.
And then there's the infamous "Felger & Mazz" big board from 98.5 "The Sports Hub" ... which came through and nailed it once again!