New England Patriots select Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange in 2022 NFL Draft

The New England Patriots made a surprise selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft when they used the No. 29 overall pick to take Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange. While he is not one of the most well-known names in the class, he brings great pedigree and fills a position of need.

The decision came after the team traded its original first round pick, No. 21 overall, to the Kansas City Chiefs who selected Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie.

New England made the decision to select an interior offensive lineman with its early pick after trading former offensive guard Shaq Mason this offseason. After starring at the FCS level, Strange shot up draft boards and now gets his chance to validate the move.

NFL draft analysts on Cole Strange

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down what Cole Strange can bring to the NFL in his recent scout of the quarterback’s draft profile. The analyst compared the former unranked recruit and Chattanooga product to longtime NFL interior lineman JC Tretter.

The NFL.com scout pointed out that while he is not the most well-known name in the draft and does not have much tape for fans to get excited about, he can contribute at a high level.

“Highly experienced interior lineman who does a nice job of staying on schedule,” wrote Zierlein. “He shines over the first two phases of the block, which means he gains early positioning and gets into the sustain phase with proper hand usage and footwork. He will lose a tug-of-war battle as a pure man-to-man blocker, but wins with lateral quickness and an understanding of angles as a move blocker. A snappier pass punch is needed to prevent sub-package rushers with hand talent from bypassing him too easily. His frame and play strength are a little below average, but he has done some snapping in practice, so he could land as a future starting center for a zone-happy rush offense.”