Strange Pick? NFL Draft Expert Daniel Jeremiah Surprised By Patriots’ Draftee

NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah had a similar to reaction to those in New England on Thursday night when the Patriots drafted Tennessee-Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with their first-round pick.

Strange, who was selected at No. 29 overall after the Patriots traded back, now is the highest-drafted player ever from Tennessee-Chattanooga, an FCS school. While the Patriots have an obvious need at guard, Strange was not a player thought to be drafted in the first round.

Jeremiah depicted just that with his reaction on the NFL Network broadcast.

“Wow. Wow,” Jeremiah said. “I thought Cole Strange, he was one of my favorite mid-round guys. I thought you might get him in the third round. The Patriots, they take the guys they like, going all the way up in the first round I had him in the early 70s.”

Jeremiah ranked Strange No. 74 on his top 150 prospects.

“But this is a bulldog. He’s a coaches favorite,” Jeremiah continued of the 6-foot-5, 307-pound offensive lineman. “You can see why New England would fall in love with him. The compete he showed at the Senior Bowl stood out. He’d lose a rep and get right back in there.”

The Patriots traded back from No. 21 overall with the Kansas City Chiefs selecting cornerback Trent McDuffie with that selection. McDuffie was linked to the Patriots in mock drafts leading up to Thursday night.