{"id":103802,"date":"2022-05-02T15:33:27","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T19:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=103802"},"modified":"2022-05-02T16:01:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T20:01:42","slug":"patriots-first-round-pick-cole-stranges-former-o-line-coach-breaks-down-pats-top-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/patriots-first-round-pick-cole-stranges-former-o-line-coach-breaks-down-pats-top-pick\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots First-Round Pick Cole Strange’s Former O-Line Coach Breaks Down Pats Top Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick have never cared about mine or your mock drafts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the last two decades, Belichick is notorious for going against the grain with his selections, with pick after pick labeled \u201creaches\u201d by pundits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In true Belichick fashion, New England\u2019s first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft was another consensus-bucking selection in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga guard Cole Strange.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a consensus board by The Athletic\u2019s Arif Hasan, which combines more than 80 big boards of prominent media analysts, Strange was the biggest first-round reach in the 2022 draft. Strange\u2019s average rank was 76th, a third-round selection, while the Pats took him 29th overall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Belichick\u2019s recent draft history is leading to more distrust nowadays, Strange\u2019s position coach at Chattanooga painted a picture of a tough, athletic, and studious newest member of the Patriots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview with CLNS Media, Chattanooga offensive assistant Ricky Spradling brought to light why the Patriots became enamored enough with Strange to draft him in the first round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t have any friends on the football field. He\u2019s nasty. He\u2019s tenacious. He\u2019s a high-effort guy. He\u2019s exactly what you want mentality-wise when it comes to an offensive lineman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our runs were going to the left because Cole was on the left,\u201d Spradling told CLNS Media.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spradling began our conversation by explaining the coaching turnover that impacted Strange\u2019s career with the Mocs and how a 250-pound 19-year-old became a 307-pound first-round pick by the Patriots.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Strange arrived on campus, the now 6-foot-5 and 307-pound guard was 255 pounds. The Chattanooga staff knew Strange needed to add weight to play interior offensive line, but Spradling was in awe of how Strange bulked up without losing his athleticism.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cole Strange was drafted with pick 29 of round 1 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.95 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 1298 OG from 1987 to 2022. https:\/\/t.co\/RRKLKRSIJK<\/a> #RAS<\/a> #Patriots<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/FxExB6k1sR<\/a><\/p>\n

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n