"That was a bad pick" - NFL fans still divided over Patriots' first-round selection of Cole Strange
The New England Patriots selected Cole Strange, a guard out of Chattanooga, with their first pick of the 2022 NFL draft. For many, a first-round selection is usually met with cheering and a sense of what the player can become.
However, with the selection of Strange, not everyone was pleased with New England's first pick. NFL fans flocked to Twitter to express their thoughts on the pick with many not impressed.
One NFL fan posted and simply said, "It was a bad pick."
@MySportsUpdate That was a bad pick
Another fan went in the opposite direction, saying the press conference with L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay and Les Snead had many thinking the pair were taking a shot at Belichick over the pick. But in reality, they were just shocked that he went so early.
@MySportsUpdate Yea bro everyone thought this was a shot at BB hahah they were just shocked he went that early
One NFL fan posted and said that the press conference was more about damage control from the Rams than anything. Seemingly hinting that the Patriots pick wasn't very good.
@MySportsUpdate Wow that’s all they had good to say was he has a quick 1st step? Sounds like damage control more than anything.
A user named Gavin said that the pick from the Patriots was good.
@MySportsUpdate It’s a good pick, casuals will disagree
One NFL fan commented and said that the offensive lineman is a good player, but that the Patriots could have gotten him in the second round, making it a bad pick.
@thirtyyhours @MySportsUpdate Good player, bad pick. They definitely could’ve gotten him in the 2nd round
Another fan posted and wrote that the Patriots pick was "still a reach."
@MySportsUpdate Still a reach
One fan named Davis commented and said the offensive lineman was their biggest sleeper in the draft and the Patriots got a better lineman than the Saints and Cowboys.
@MySportsUpdate Cole Strange was my biggest sleeper. Pats literally got a better lineman than the Saints and Cowboys who used earlier picks on them
One NFL fan posted and wrote they liked the pick of the 23-year-old.
@MySportsUpdate Solid pick. NE might compete for 3rd in the AFCE
One NFL fan posted a video of a Ravens' third-rounder pass rushing against the Patriots' first-rounder and winning easily.
@MySportsUpdate Ravens third rounder vs Cole Strange twitter.com/koestreicher34…
Another fan posted and said that the pick is good, but people still think the Patriots reached to get him.
@MySportsUpdate The point isn’t that Strange isn’t good, people just thought it was a reach and they could’ve added a receiver or defensive help in thr first and still pick Strange later.
Rams GM clarifies his stance on Cole Strange pick
Much was made of Snead and McVay's reaction to the Patriots selecting Strange. Many thought the way the pair acted was that they did not value the offensive lineman at all in their press conference.
However, at the end of the video, Snead spoke about what makes the 23-year-old such a good player.
Snead said:
“You know what’s awesome about Cole Strange UT Chattanooga? What jumped off the screen is? When he takes his first step, it's about a quicker first step as an offensive lineman can take.”
Everyone saw Sean McVay’s reaction to the #Patriots selecting Cole Strange in the first round.
What people missed is Les Snead talking about what makes Cole Strange great and why they liked him so much.
https://t.co/tYLh1BlJro
Context is important for most press conferences, and it is clear that many people could have just seen the first part of the clip and made their judgements. However, as we see toward the end, Snead rates the 23-year-old very highly.