It wouldn’t be the NFL Draft without the Patriots trading back.
Right on cue, the Pats shipped their first selection Thursday night, the 21st overall pick, to Kansas City for the 29th pick, a third-rounder and a fourth-round pick. That allowed them to fall back with several top prospects still on the board. Eventually, they landed on one: Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange.
Strange projects as a starting guard for the Patriots, who needed one after trading Shaq Mason and letting Ted Karras walk in free agency. He’s an FCS prospect who acquitted himself well at the Senior Bowl, where he earned marks for his intelligence. Strange left Chattanooga as a senior captain and first-team FCS All-American, having made 42 starts at left guard, one at left tackle and another at center.
