I know a hole opened up at guard when Shaq Mason was traded to the Bucs, but value matters in the draft, and Strange needs to play at a Pro Bowl level for years to come to justify this selection.
“In Round 2, there were several better wide receivers available when New England took Tyquan Thornton , who didn’t even make my list of the top 25 wideouts in this class.
“Predictably, New England traded down in the first round to gain picks; Strange is a solid player who will play for a decade but was not expected to be selected in the top 50, much less the first round,” Reuter wrote.
Zappe’s a director from the pocket with nice anticipation and a bit more zip in his arm than given credit for.
Before blowing up the event in Indianapolis, Strange impressed many across the league by spending almost all of the Senior Bowl at center despite not playing a single down at the position for Chattanooga.
“After the Saints reached for their pick at 49th overall, the Patriots topped them by taking Tyquan Thornton — the 192nd ranked player on the PFF big board.
“He is a fluid athlete who is, at a minimum, going to be a quality return specialist, as he was the highest-graded kick returner in the country last season.
“The Patriots started by reaching for Strange’s third-round value in the first round and being too speed-enamored with Thornton,” Iyer wrote.
Maske didn’t give the Patriots the lowest draft grade within the AFC East.
“Bill Belichick’s history of surprising picks devoted to obscure players continued with the first-round choice of G Cole Strange from Chattanooga,” Maske wrote.
“They took Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the 29th overall pick in the first round, which was far higher than the late second round or third-round projections from most mock draft,” Goss wrote.
Having said that, at the very least, it feels like the Patriots misread the market and could have moved down again for additional picks while still drafting Strange on Day 2.
“The question is whether he can consistently beat press coverage and become a more well-rounded player.
“Jones is undersized, but he’s a competitive corner who has ball skills and can cover.
Instead, it was the team’s decision to draft Zappe in the fourth round.
There are times they make these weird picks like Cole Strange and they turn into All-Pros, then others when they flame out and we kinda ignore it because of Bill Belichick’s brilliance.
“Bill Belichick selected the fastest receiver and running back in the class, signaling an offensive shift we’ve already seen is a year in the making,” Orr wrote.
