DRAFT Cole Strange-Welcome to the Pats

[Boomer B]

We had a great guard and traded him for a 5th round pick. We used our first round pick on a guard many thought wouldn't go until the 3rd or 4th round.

 

[Ring 6]

It’s not meaningless. Unless he is gonna be one of those late bloomers (which he could be) then you’re limited by how much he can grow. Coach him up? Sure, but an older guy is going to be more of what you see is what you get.

So he is easier to evaluate. If any player in the NFL was left back a year in grade school they wouldn’t be a different player, and the one year shorter career span for an OL is meaningless. It’s a dumb reason to pile on criticism.

 

[Guts]

I get how you feel, but we do have a lot of picks left...who knows Strange may end up being an All Pro we shall see. Don't have a problem with the player, but it is a horrible pick though because he would have been available in later rounds.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Whelp, here we go. Onto day 2. A lot of talent is left on the board and the Pats are stocked up with picks in the golden ticket zone.

• Round 2: No. 54
• Round 3: No. 85
• Round 3: No. 94 (via Kansas City Chiefs)
• Round 4: No. 121 (via Kansas City Chiefs)
• Round 4: No. 127
• Round 5: No. 158 (via Miami Dolphins)
• Round 6: No. 183 (via Houston Texans)
• Round 6: No. 200
• Round 6: No. 210 (via Los Angeles Rams)
• Round 7: No. 245 (via Houston Texans from Dallas Cowboys)

Draft isn’t over yet ladies and gentlemen!

My bet is on Picking up 3 kickers and 2 more TEs and maybe even a RB within those selections

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Why do you care that he is 24. It is meaningless.

Not really meaningless. Generally you want younger prospects that perform against older competition. 23-24 are closer to be maxed out physically and from a skill set pov. It's a big deal seeing a 18-19 beat up on JR/SR. Generally WR, for example that "breakout " early have a higher hit rate. Not the end all, be all but it matters. Teams (Browns) are aware of it.

So you'd rather have a guy that's going to be 24 at the end of his first contract, still getting better. As opposed to someone 28 who's close to the same guy as when he came in the league. These guys can usually play sooner but again there's a trade off in other areas.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Hilarious to show a guy getting beat on one rep not playing his primary position.

That said, sounds like BB needs better spies in other teams’ war rooms if he thinks he wasn’t lasting much longer….

 

[TheRainMaker]

 

[PaulNEPats]

Same. Hate the direction this team is going both coaching and personnel wise.

 

[holyredeemer]

So he is easier to evaluate. If any player in the NFL was left back a year in grade school they wouldn’t be a different player, and the one year shorter career span for an OL is meaningless. It’s a dumb reason to pile on criticism.

If that’s your sole reason for piling on a guy, then sure. I disagree with it being meaningless. Strange is a solid player. A good pick that better sure as hell come into NE day 1 with a nasty disposition and start. Me personally, there were so many other guys one the board that I felt could’ve made a bigger impact on the team and would’ve been better to have locked in under a late first rd contract. To be honest though, I’m sure Bill isn’t thinking about 2nd contracts at this point in his coaching career anymore. Day 2 is coming. Who are some guys left that are ready to plug in and have an impact now?

 

[DaBruinz]

I can get past all of that.

I can’t get past the fact that this was only a need because we traded away a high level guy who was on a cheap value contract for a 5th rounder. This was all to save a few million and complete neglected every other bigger need on the roster. (Could’ve used the extra few million to attempt to resign JC Jackson, but what do I know?)

This is FALSE thinking on your part. Go back and look at last season objectively. The O-line was terribly inconsistent even when Karras was at LG. I posted Onwenu's stuff and he was pretty good, but not great at LG. He was above average at RT. Clearly the Pats want him on the field at RG with Trent Brown at RT. Strange is likely pegged as your starting LG and back-up center.

Also, while YOU feel that other needs were bigger, you're ignoring how the Patriots grade draft picks. It's not JUST based on need. It's based on where they rate the player NOW as well as in the Future. And they grade the other prospects the same way and compare them to players ON THE TEAM currently. If they had other players rated better, overall, than Strange, they'd have taken them. Clearly they didn't. We have to accept that the Pats had Strange rated higher than the likes of Jones, Davis, Hill, Brisker, Dean, etc. Clearly they loved what they saw from him at the Senior Bowl as well as on tape.

OH. Yeah.. As someone else pointed out on Twitter. The Pats took a lesser known player at #32 of the 2005 draft. They took him to play, LG. That player was none other than Logan Mankins. And there were oodles of fans ranting and raving then about how stupid Belichick was and how he created the Issue on the O-line and that Mankins woulda been there later. Except, come to find out that the 49ers were planning on taking Mankins in the top of the 2nd round.

BTW, the O-Line looks like this currently:
Wynn, Strange, Andrews, Onwenu, Brown. They have Herron, Cajuste, Ferentz, Durant, Desjarlais, Sherman and Hambright

On a separate note, you're re-writing history. The Pats TRIED to re-sign Jackson. They offered him a 3 year deal a higher AAV than the Chargers offered on their 5 year deal to Jackson. Jackson CHOSE to move on. T. Jackson wanted the longer contract. This came out after Jackson signed with the Chargers.

 

[n6249c]

Hilarious to show a guy getting beat on one rep not playing his primary position.

That said, sounds like BB needs better spies in other teams’ war rooms if he thinks he wasn’t lasting much longer….

Or maybe your spies aren’t as good as his.

 

[DaBruinz]

Hilarious to show a guy getting beat on one rep not playing his primary position.

That said, sounds like BB needs better spies in other teams’ war rooms if he thinks he wasn’t lasting much longer….

Just like Logan Mankins was going to last to the end of the 2nd round, right?

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I actually thought the Patriots would go after a OL late in the draft or at the very least look to old friend Nate Solder in FA for the vet minimum

 

[VJCPatriot]

Sean McVay literally laughed at this on live video.

That instant reaction says everything we need to know. BB had Strange graded as a first round pick at #29. McVay had him graded at #104. OOF! Must have been a HELL of an interview, huh?

 

[Ring 6]

Not really meaningless. Generally you want younger prospects that perform against older competition. 23-24 are closer to be maxed out physically and from a skill set pov. It's a big deal seeing a 18-19 beat up on JR/SR. Generally WR, for example that "breakout " early have a higher hit rate. Not the end all, be all but it matters. Teams (Browns) are aware of it.

So you'd rather have a guy that's going to be 24 at the end of his first contract, still getting better. As opposed to someone 28 who's close to the same guy as when he came in the league. These guys can usually play sooner but again there's a trade off in other areas.

It enters into evaluation but it is meaningless in terms of the value of drafting him. A 20 year old who looks equal today to a 24 year old should surpass him, but no one evaluated him as if he was 20.
He is going to develop into the same guy by 28 whether that included 4 or 5 years in the NFL.

 

[slash83]

Bill said he wasn’t going to be there much longer.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Or maybe your spies aren’t as good as his.

Just like Logan Mankins was going to last to the end of the 2nd round, right?

Sean McVay’s reaction shows the view of one other NFL team, and it lines up with the external consensus.

That said, I understand that the draft is effectively an auction process, so all it takes is one other team to mess it up (i.e. market value is highest bidder, not consensus). Certainly possible he knows Caserio would have taken him at 37.

 

[Ring 6]

If that’s your sole reason for piling on a guy, then sure. I disagree with it being meaningless. Strange is a solid player. A good pick that better sure as hell come into NE day 1 with a nasty disposition and start. Me personally, there were so many other guys one the board that I felt could’ve made a bigger impact on the team and would’ve been better to have locked in under a late first rd contract. To be honest though, I’m sure Bill isn’t thinking about 2nd contracts at this point in his coaching career anymore. Day 2 is coming. Who are some guys left that are ready to plug in and have an impact now?

Thinking there were better players is not relevant to his age. Being 29 or 28 or 27 by the time your no longer locked in is not relevant. Players, especially OL do not decline or expire at 28.

 

[DaBruinz]

Every year at draft time, I am prepared to be disappointed by the Pats draft and Yet every year I follow BCG, and all the other draft guys as they painstakingly pour through film and make suggestions that usually get me excited about who they will draft. And EVERY freakin year I get a list of new patriots who are virtually complete strangers to me and once again I've been fooled again. So welcome Cole ****ing strange some freaking OG from a school noone has heard of in a conference that probably shouldn't exist. No Daxon Hill. no Clemson CB, No Travis Jones. But a guard that I guarantee you won't be starting in september.
Call me on Sunday to let me know who else I won't care about with their next 8 picks. Because I don't give a ****.

Ken - This is the sort of BS post I expect from Captain Stone. NOT from you.

Not sure what list you're looking at, but BCG has Cole Strange on his list. Granted, it's a 3r round grade, but he's still there.

I love your insight, Ken, but you're NOT Ms. Cleo. There is no way you can say that Strange won't be starting at LG in September. Go and do a search for Cole Strange Senior Bowl and watch some of the footage out there on him. Keep in mind that he played all of ONE game in his career at center prior to Senior Bowl Practices. Yet he was willing and able AND turned heads in doing so.

 

[KDPPatsfan85]