DRAFT Cole Strange-Welcome to the Pats

[Username]

Go watch the Rams video with them laughing and saying they were wondering if he would still be there at 105.

Baldinger gives context to McVay's reaction of Patriots selection of C Cole Strange

NFL Network's Brian Baldinger gives context to Los Angeles Rams heas coach Sean McVay's reaction of New England Patriots selection of C Cole Strange.

www.nfl.com

Judging by that the Rams aren't too happy with Siciliano regarding his tweet

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

chances are there will be more CBs/LBs with a chance to make an impact available at 54 than there would have been G's ready to make an impact at 54......

Lb-perfectly fine taking one at 54.
Cb-seeing a trade down with mcduffie available stung a little. We got good value with the trade down but still he would’ve filled the need following JCs departure.

 

[VectorPrime]

Great catch. That torpedoes the conspiracy theories that BB is overriding Groh and the scouts. There was no visible controversy and it was done with Kraft in the room where he could observe the purportedly sullen overridden staff.

It’s hilarious that you say this as a good thing when I see this as worse.

 

[amfootball]

It’s hilarious that you say this as a good thing when I see this as worse.

It is clear that Bill is running this draft which is unfortunate.

 

[cupofjoe1962]

Only someone like yourself would think that Strange would still be there when the Pats picked despite there being 8 teams from 33 to 53 that need an OG.

But, as it typical of your antics, you can't be bothered with facts. Only YOUR OPINION means something even when it's nothing but fantasy gibberish.

Unlike YOU, I actually seek out information to help shape my opinions. I was shocked that BB took Strange, but I had O-line as a position of need to be looked at in the first. When BB implied in his press conference that Strange wasn't going to make it to 54, it showed that he had information that we didn't. One, that Teams clearly rated Strange higher than what the draftnicks did. Two, that he knew that some team between 33 and 53 was going to take Strange and moving up from 54 would cost valuable picks that he didn't want to spend on Strange. Three, that others such as Cam Jurgens, Cade Mays, and Chris Paul weren't as highly graded by the Pats and may not even be equal in grade to what the Patriots have currently for other IOL.

Unlike so many of you. I can see the parallels to what happened with Mankins. That so many people claimed he'd be there for the Pats 2nd round pick and yet, it turned out that Mankins was going to the 49ers at 33.

So, I ask myself. What's more likely? That the draftnicks and psuedo-fans know more than BB? Or that BB with his 50+ years of Football experience, 8 SB Rings and 12 SB Appearances knows a bit more about the workings of the Draft? That's being a realist. Not a Pom-Pom guy. Not a brown-noser. Not a "Kool-Aid Drinker".

Maybe you should try using facts in their context so you don't look like a clown, Joe. Or are you just that lonely that you have to pick ridiculous fights?

Did Belichick also have info that someone was going to pick Jordan Richards in the second round?

You don’t want to lose that guy…. Lol

What about this endless line of corner busts?

Joejuan Williams - 2019
Duke Dawson - 2018
Cyrus Jones - 2016
Jordan Richards - 2015
Tavon Wilson - 2012
Ras-Dowling - 2011
Darrius Butler - 2009
Terrence Wheatley - 2008

That is 8 waisted 2nd round picks on the same position in a 12 year period.

I am just praying Belichick doesn’t pick a DB in the 2nd tonight

I do admit….. I would have loved to have
Seen Krafts face when he heard last nights
Pick.

 

[DaBruinz]

But Jalen Mills and Malcolm Butler are our starting CBs.

Given the range of available players -- Dax Hill, Kaiir Elam, Trent McDuffie -- it certainly is concerning that Belichick thinks none of these 3 are worth it at a position of even greater need than guard.

And before you tell me there's a huge falloff at guard, that's not the way most people see it. The only top CBs left are Booth (who has huge injury concerns) and Kyler Gordon, who is sure to go soon. If Belichick doesn't land either of these guys, then who?

The next few guards taken will be 2nd and 3rd rounders like Kinnard and Rhyan.

Here's the thing. You don't know that the Patriots graded CB as a higher need than OG. It's your fan opinion that CB is a greater need. Next, it's also your assumption that Hill, McDuffie, Elam were rated HIGHER by the Patriots than Strange. For all we know, the Pats had the SAME Grade or a slightly LOWER grade.

I could care less what "most people think" in regards to what the drop off is at OG. Fact is that news has already come out that the reporting about Strange was incorrect. That more than a few teams had Strange as a 2nd rounder, not a third, like all the "draftnicks" did. So, taking him at 29 instead of in the 2nd round isn't a big deal to me. And the implication by BB that Strange was going to be gone by 54 rings more true than false. Especially when you look at the fact there are at least 8 teams picking between 33 an 53 that have OG as a need.

I'm pointing out legitimate possibilities that so many people are over-looking.

As for the CBs left, beside Gordon, you have Woolen, Marcus Jones, McCreary, an possibly and Jalen Pitre. The Pats have needs at Edge and DT. Yeah, in a perfect world, we'd know BB's thoughts on prospects, but we don't. We can only look at the possible reasons why he did something.

I was shocked by the pick. I said it. But I had O-line as an equal need to DT, CB, and LB going into the draft. I'm not saying that's how the Pats were, I'm just saying that's how I looked at it.

Things we didn't know before the pick or was over-looked.
- Strange had an excellent Senior Bowl despite playing Center. A position he'd only played ONCE previously.
- Strange is a hard-nosed player. Something the line's been missing.
- Strange was rated in the 2n round by lots of teams.
- Pats had strange rated higher than all the "shiny" picks that people wanted.

The last time the Patriots took a guard in the 1st round it was Logan Mankins. He was 23 when the Pats drafted him. He had a late 2nd/high 3rd grade on him by many of the "draft nicks". People went crazy like they have with Strange, saying that BB was out of his mind and such.

 

[Joker]

I almost never post here, but waking up to this, felt I had to make a few observations:

1) None of us know anything about these players. We're all basing our opinions on the evaluations of media draft "experts" who are themselves wrong so often that the ability to ignore them is practically the definition of a good GM. Think of how certain most all of them were that Mac Jones was the worst of last year's quarterbacks. Fans in other cities cheered when their teams picked highly rated players like Jeff Okudah and Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson. It's the definition of ignorance to be mad about a pick before we get to see if the player can play.

2) A lot of GMs are afraid to cross draftniks because they're afraid might lose their jobs because the owner is over-sensitive to fan blowback. Only a coach/GM who's won a lot is able to blow off those considerations and make picks divorced of that dynamic. This has long been a competitive advantage of the Patriots, who have done very well with unsexy picks overall. Belichick over the years made one fan-loathed pick after another, from picking Richard Seymour over a WR to trading out of the first round multiple times (several of those deals were among his best ever, even when the value hart wasn't great, like Joe Staley for Jerod Mayo and Randy Moss). Fans hated the Mankins pick, hated Solder, hated Dugger, hated Chung, hated McCourty, and a bunch of others, while sexy picks like Maroney, Meriweather, Chad Jackson, and Harry earned raves.

3) For all that BB is at best a mediocre drafter. His big weakness is over-drafting players who surely would have been available later. He's done this throughout the dynasty, with infamous choices like Tavon Wilson, Dexter Reid, and Aaron Dobson being painful examples. People are triggered because Strange feels like this kind of pick.

4) Where BB makes up for this deficiency is in acquiring more picks and taking more chances, so he has a chance at a better hit rate. He's usually done well with these deals, the Jamie Collins-and Logan Ryan-for-Cordarelle Patterson deal an example. The trade down last night means we're going to end up comparing Strange plus two top-100-ish players to Trent McDuffie. This is a deep draft that's light at the top. If the guy can play, the deal makes sense.

5) Finally people who are complaining about Shaq Mason - it's not a one-to-one comparison. Obviously if you could pay Mason a rookie salary for five years you'd keep him. Instead he was probably gone, so they got what they could. If they guy replaces Shaq Mason and the saved money pays for someone like Devante Parker, you have to count that, too. This is basic Moneyball stuff. It's amazing that Pats fans after all this success still don't grasp these things.

6) If the guy can play, it's a good pick. If he's Dominique Easley, it's not. But thinking you know on draft night is nuts. None of us has a clue. Frankly he seems likely to be a boring but dependable pick, which is what they've always done best. I'm nervous when they pick wideouts and running backs high. Tackles and guards? Give me those all day.

Thanks for your well thought out post, Don. I appreciate it, for one. I've been an NFL fan since 1960 and as rabid a Pats fan as there is. I'm not going to dredge up past hits or misses in this franchise's history but I will point out what I SEE in this division and what I almost certainly would like to have seen them do. Given the offenses predicated on superior wide receivers such as Buffalo's and Miami's I would think the Pats would have stayed at 21 and taken a corner. Given their rather mundane LB corps, a sideline to sideline monster from the SEC would seem to have made sense also. An offensive guard? I've seen the Patriots draft this position in the 4th, 5th and 6th rounds consistently over the years. First round??? For a player from a small school?

People bring up "well Mankins!"...well yeah, but don't forget..the Pats had the luxury of also having the greatest player in NFL history behind center. This team does not. This team is in chase mode and right now all three teams in our division have made strides to either keep their superiority or make giant strides to leap frog us in the division.

Day two could go a long way in easing MY fears but our picks better be home runs.

 

[cupofjoe1962]

I can live with the pick if Strange is a first year starter.

We definitely have a better history of drafting lineman than DB’s & WR, so hopefully STRONG starts for 5 years at a reasonable price.

I am praying he doesn’t go DB in the second round.

 

[DaBruinz]

Did Belichick also have info that someone was going to pick Jordan Richards in the second round?

You don’t want to lose that guy…. Lol

What about this endless line of corner busts?

Joejuan Williams - 2019
Duke Dawson - 2018
Cyrus Jones - 2016
Jordan Richards - 2015
Tavon Wilson - 2012
Ras-Dowling - 2011
Darrius Butler - 2009
Terrence Wheatley - 2008

That is 8 waisted 2nd round picks on the same position in a 12 year period.

I am just praying Belichick doesn’t pick a DB in the 2nd tonight

I do admit….. I would have loved to have
Seen Krafts face when he heard last nights
Pick.

Per usual,. you go off on some unrelated moronic tangent.
BTW, Tavon Wilson wasn't a bust. And what about all the OTHER 2nd round picks during that time?

 

[DaBruinz]

I wouldn’t say that the left guards have been nobodies. They’ve had same darn good left guards. Mankins, Thuney, and Andruzzi were the consistent starters there for most of the last two decades. They’ve had a couple of years with guys filling in at the spot, like Connelly and Mason for a year each. But left guard has been stable.

LG was not stable the last 2 years. Not sure why you think otherwise.

 

[Rob0729]

Baldinger gives context to McVay's reaction of Patriots selection of C Cole Strange

NFL Network's Brian Baldinger gives context to Los Angeles Rams heas coach Sean McVay's reaction of New England Patriots selection of C Cole Strange.

www.nfl.com

Judging by that the Rams aren't too happy with Siciliano regarding his tweet

Their take is my take. They may or may not have thought the Pats drafted Strage too high, but Strange was their guy and were hoping he would drop to 104. And they did extra scouting on the guy.

 

[Ross12]

I think one factor that's really being overlooked here is that Strange is the keeper of the Eye of Agamotto, which houses the Time Stone - meaning that every play which doesn't go the Patriots' way can simply be rolled back in time and tried again.

 

[skinnydog]

I like how McVay is suddenly the draft guru of all time.

He did not draft Beckam, Miller, Donald, Higbee and a slew of others that just won him a Super Bowl.

You wanna ahead crown dey axx? Then go ahead, but there is plenty of duds in this guys drafting.

DraftHistory.com

www.drafthistory.com

Everyone makes mistakes, but it really is the most honest info on what other teams thought of the pick. Not necessarily the player but the pick. And it was both McVay and the Rams GM. It was a very real response. Not the calculated sort of I don’t want to offend a fellow coach response. It shows that it’s not just draftniks and ESPN hosts who thought it was a huge reach. Contrast that with rumors or maybes that some other team might have drafter him before 54.

 

[DaBruinz]

I swear Bill is in a vacuum from the rest of the league. I am sure this kid is a fine player, but even Bill's peers thought he'd be there later. It's poor draft management. Could have had McDuffie AND this kid at 54. Or Dean at 29 and this kid later. It sucks. I am so aggravated this morning, and it has nothing to do with Steven Strange or whatever the hell this kid's name is. I am sure he's fine.... at 54. Trade out for chrissakes.

i know what his name is.

It's already come out that Strange wasn't going to be there at 54. So you claiming otherwise is erroneous. It's also come out that the offers at 29 weren't great.

Had Bill taken a subpar offer, people would be screaming about that.

 

[Nunchucks]

It's already come out that Strange wasn't going to be there at 54. So you claiming otherwise is erroneous. It's also come out that the offers at 29 weren't great.

Had Bill taken a subpar offer, people would be screaming about that.

There are othe guards who can play that could be picked later...I mean, look at all the guards they have drafted in the middle rounds

 

[skinnydog]

Their take is my take. They may or may not have thought the Pats drafted Strage too high, but Strange was their guy and were hoping he would drop to 104. And they did extra scouting on the guy.

No indication he was their guy at 104. They scouted him to see if he would be their pick at 104. That doesn’t mean they would not have taken a different guard at 104 or drafted an entirely different position.

 

[upstater1]

Here's the thing. You don't know that the Patriots graded CB as a higher need than OG. It's your fan opinion that CB is a greater need. Next, it's also your assumption that Hill, McDuffie, Elam were rated HIGHER by the Patriots than Strange. For all we know, the Pats had the SAME Grade or a slightly LOWER grade.

First, if they think guard is a bigger problem than CB, then they are truly deranged. seriously, it's much harder to find a good CB than it is to find a guard. Look at the salaries of these positions for top all-pros. That should tell you everything. And we have a guy who didn't play football last year and wasn't great the year before when he did at the spot opposite a guy who is like a journeyman.

We have the worst CB situation in the entire NFL. I would rather have the CBs from every other team.

As for the second part, where did I say Belichick had the 3 CBs rated higher than Strange? I said the exact opposite. I said Belichick taking Strange when he had greater needs elsewhere tells me he doesn't think much of the players in this draft, and that means we can't expect help at the position of dire need. In other words, we're screwed at CB. If he thought Elam, McDuffie or even Hill were near as good as Strange, he would have taken them, because everyone knows a good CB is a lot more valuable than a good guard.

 

[Steve102]

It's already come out that Strange wasn't going to be there at 54. So you claiming otherwise is erroneous. It's also come out that the offers at 29 weren't great.

Had Bill taken a subpar offer, people would be screaming about that.

That tweet came out after I posted my post. Regardless, I stand by my statement.

 

[nextsuperstar]

LG was not stable the last 2 years. Not sure why you think otherwise.

I was responding to a post wherein it was said nobodies were playing guard and it was fine. When things were fine, the Patriots had a very good left guard. The last two years were different, and the line play was inconsistent.

 

[DaBruinz]

I think he's going to be fine. Just not at 29. Hell, move up into the 30's or 40's and get him. They have the capital.

If they had Strange rated the same as the players you mentioned, but couldn't find someone to trade with to move up from 54, then what? Take a player that they had rated lesser than the players currently on the team?