When the New England Patriots used the 29th overall selection in this year’s NFL Draft on interior offensive lineman Cole Strange out of Chattanooga they caused quite the stir. Strange, after all, was widely expected to become a third-round pick and consequently appeared to be a significant over-draft late in the first round.
Nonetheless, the Patriots bringing him aboard did make plenty of sense.
Not only was Strange arguably the best guard prospect still available at that point in the draft — Kenyon Green and Zion Johnson were already off the board — he also is an impressive athlete who allows the team to fill a major need.