Patriots OL Cole Strange Ignoring Critics

Despite the negativity from the naysayers, New England Patriots rookie left guard Cole Strange is intently focused on doing his job.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots clearly delivered the surprise of the 2022 NFL Draft by selecting Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange with the 29th overall selection.

For some, investing first-round draft capital was a steep price to be paid for Strange’s services. After all, most draft analysts and mock draft enthusiasts had saddled him with a late third-round grade, at best.

Still, the Pats’ rookie lineman has no time for naysayers. He is intently focused on playing to the best of his ability; starting with a strong performance at training camp.

“You hear it [criticism], but it’s kind of one of those things where it’s like, you just tune it out,” Strange told reporters following Thursday’s practice. “[I just] focus on my assignment, my job — don’t have to worry about anything else.”

With the Patriots feeling the void at left guard after the departures of Joe Thuney in 2021 and Ted Karras this offseason, Strange has already been a welcomed addition to the Pats line. Though he has experience at guard, he has the versatility to fill in at center, as well as tackle.

Strange is a tenacious run-blocker with the quickness to generate sudden impact on power runs. He has also displayed an ability to seal defenders on zone runs. He has outstanding upper-body strength, as well as the large hands necessary to grasp defenders in pass protection. In addition to his size, he has fluid movement to mirror his opponent, as well as to recover when he struggles with a defender.

This should be music to the ears of the Patriots, especially quarterback Mac Jones. Despite a stellar rookie campaign, Jones most often struggled in 2021 when opposing defenses attempted to confuse the Pats’ quarterback by deploying strategically placed blitzes from the second and third level of the defense. With a complete, healthy offensive line, the task of protecting Jones against such an attack becomes a bit easier. It also takes a little grit — a trait which Strange exudes. During the team’s offseason workouts, Strange saw the majority of his snaps at left guard, alongside the starting unit.

“It’s going well,” Strange said of his first NFL training camp. “Tough, but you know, I guess kind of as expected. Just learning a lot right now, making sure I know my assignments.”

Through the first two days of training camp, Strange continues to be a mainstay at left guard, taking the majority of his snaps with the presumed starting unit. Should this trend continue, as expected, he will likely land the starting position to start the regular season.

For good measure, he has seemingly earned praise from coach Bill Belichick.

“Cole’s worked really hard,” Belichick said of his rookie lineman. “He’s one of the first guys in the building every day and the last to leave. He’s done a good job on his assignments, shown a lot of maturity in different situations that we’ve put him in. But, it’s a long way to go, and obviously he has talent, but it comes down to production and consistency.”

The Patriots will return to practice on Friday, July 29 at 9:30 a.m. on the Gillette Stadium practice fields in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Once again, practice will be open to the public.