New England Patriots assistant coach Matt Patricia seems to have liked what he saw from the team’s first-round draft choice, Cole Strange.
Strange reported for rookie minicamp, a series of practices for rookies with the occasional veteran seeking a tryout. It should come as no surprise that Strange, the 29th overall pick in the 2022 draft, stood out.
“You can see (Strange’s) athleticism. You can see it match up with the guys that are vets or have been here or have been in the NFL, which is really good,” Patricia said on Tuesday.
Patricia tempered his enthusiasm for Strange, however, by adding that the coach is waiting to see how the rookie looks against veterans. It’s one thing to shine without pads and with rookies. It’s another thing to compete against veterans who have spent the offseason preparing for training camp — rather than workouts at the NFL combine.
“What happens with the college guys is they come out and they’re really trying to get ready for a pro day or a combine or something like that, not necessarily football skills. And that’s the part that we’ve really got to keep pushing to catch up with,” Patricia said.
Strange scored extremely well on the physical tests during the pre-draft process. Now he’ll have to start scoring well on Bill Belchick’s pop quizzes and the rigors of halting defensive linemen.
