Finding Broncos: Cole Strange | OL | Chattanooga

Finding Broncos scouts the 2022 NFL Draft with a small school interior offensive lineman.

Measurements

  • Height: 6-foot-6
  • Weight: 301 pounds
  • Arms: 33 inches
  • Hands: 10-1/8 inches

Combine Results

  • 40 Yard Dash: 5.03 seconds
  • Bench Press (225): 31 reps
  • Vertical Jump: 28 inches
  • Broad Jump: 120 inches
  • 3 Cone Drill: 7.44 seconds
  • 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.5 seconds

Pros

  • Has the versatility to play center or guard. 
  • Lateral agility is great. 
  • Plays with good bend and proper pad level. 
  • He has a good sense of finding landmarks with proper timing when climbing. 
  • Uses his length to the max. 
  • Has the quickness to kill it in the screen game. 
  • Has good instincts with his climbing. 
  • Sudden footwork helps with quick changes of direction. 
  • Doesn't climb with a lack of patience but stays disciplined and aware. 
  • Has a strong grip that can be hard to break from. 
  • Does well getting low and under defenders' pads to use leverage to generate some push. 
  • His foot quickness is outstanding. 
  • Flexible with his blocks and has a good recovery. 
  • Has the attitude you want to be a monster on the field. 
  • Has the football IQ, work ethic, and desire. 

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Cons

  • Is a bit lean and could use a little more mass. 
  • Plays with an open chest from wide hand placement. 
  • Needs to develop a stronger core to help generate more drive. 
  • A jump in competition is also a jump in strength and speed. 
  • Has issues handling stronger defensive linemen. 
  • Has to better his reads when pulling. 
  • Hands don't punch stiff and quick and can be a little delayed. 
  • Footwork needs to be improved when pulling and sliding. 
  • Doesn't eat a lot of space inside. 
  • Scheme limited to zone heavy rushing attacks. 
  • He doesn't have much of an anchor and cannot reset his anchor. 
  • Has a bad habit of leaning into blocks, which can get him pulled off balance. 
  • Footwork needs to stay disciplined in all aspects. 

Overview

During the draft process, Cole Strange has often been compared to Quinn Meinerz because they are both small school interior offensive linemen with a chance to go pretty early in the draft. However, there are differences in play style as Strange has more movement skills and not as much power as Meinerz did. 

Strange has good movement skills and his vision and timing when climbing to the second level are ready-made for the NFL. However, he will need to work on his overall strength and core strength, or there could be more issues handling power, especially jumping to the NFL. The fact he has to improve on his strength and power leads to an interesting evaluation. 

Not every team will be super high on Strange because he has such an evident weakness in his game. Those teams want more power from their offensive linemen because of the scheme, but teams that value movement skills will love Strange. 

There is also a question about where he best fits on an NFL offensive line, and it may be center. It would limit his exposure to one-on-one blocking situations compared to working as a guard and put him in a position to use his football IQ. Strange has experience working as a center, and he has a high enough football IQ to be tasked with making the calls at the line almost immediately. 

Fit with Broncos

The Denver Broncos have met with Strange, which those visits can mean all sorts of things. He was one of many interior offensive linemen they brought in for a visit, with them all being better suited for the center position. Strange, like the others they brought in, are good fits for what the Broncos want to do offensively. 

If the Broncos were to add Strange, they could have him compete to be the starting center right away, but they wouldn't have to force it on him. Lloyd Cushenberry III is the incumbent starter, but the first two years of his career have been a disappointment. 

Adding more competition would be ideal, and you get a high football IQ player that is a scheme fit with Strange. A big concern with Cushenberry is that he isn't the best fit for the scheme, so it makes sense for the Broncos to look for better fits. 

Denver drafted Quinn Meinerz, the small school stand out from last year, in the third round. They sit with two third-round picks this year, so adding Cole Strange is a possibility and taking that chance on two small school interior offensive linemen back-to-back years. 

Grade: Mid Round 3

Where he Goes: Mid/Late Round 3


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Published
Erick Trickel
ERICK TRICKEL

Erick Trickel is the Senior Draft Analyst for Mile High Huddle, has covered the Denver Broncos, NFL, and NFL Draft for the site since 2014.