FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots made a move down the board, then another to replenish their offensive line, selecting University of Tennessee at Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the 29th pick in the NFL draft Thursday night.
New England entered the first round with needs to fill at linebacker and in its secondary, but the franchise chose to first fortify the protection up front around second-year quarterback Mac Jones.
Patience paid off for New England last year when it opted not to trade up during a quarterback-rich draft and still ended up getting its top target in Jones, the former Alabama star. This year the Patriots were part of a flurry of first-round trades, dealing the 21st overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the 29th pick, a third-round pick (94th overall) and fourth-round pick (121st overall).
It marked the 18th straight year that New England has made at least one draft-day trade.
“I’m glad Cole was there when we picked,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “He wouldn’t have lasted much longer.”