The New England Patriots received some negative feedback from fans regarding their decisions in the 2022 NFL Draft thus far.
Selecting Cole Strange in the first round was quickly labeled as a puzzling decision and fans couldn’t get over the timing of the pick. Many fans and pundits believed Strange would be available in the third round and Bill Belichick responded by saying he didn’t think Strange would’ve made it out of the second round. Belichick went as far as saying the Patriots may have drafted Strange with the No. 21 pick if they didn’t trade back.
Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh backed that sentiment up and said “it’s really easy for people to say” what to do, but the draft is extremely fluid.
“It’s not all so cut and dry with where you think a guy is going to go, and you’ve got to look at what the rest of the board is telling you,” Groh said, via Boston.com. “If you value a player high enough, then you want that player to be a part of your team.”
Groh discussed the value that Strange brings, while discussing his toughness and intelligence in depth.
“He’s almost 6’5″, 300 pounds, and runs sub-5 seconds in the 40,” Groh said. “There’s not a lot of humans out there that are doing that, benched 225, 31 times. This is a really big, strong, tough, athletic guy. If you value toughness, which we do, you value guys like Cole Strange.”
The Patriots’ second pick was speedy receiver Tyquan Thornton out of Baylor, and there was some criticism surround him as well. Thornton is the fastest receiver in the draft with a 4.28 40-yard dash, but he doesn’t have the intangibles as some of the top receivers who were selected.
The @Patriots just grabbed the fastest WR in the Draft.@BUFootball's Tyquan Thornton, who ran a 4.28 40. #NFLDraft @Humble_Ty19pic.twitter.com/WvR8Fg25Yk
— NFL (@NFL) April 30, 2022
Many people believe Thornton is just a vertical threat with limited ability to run routes, and Groh contested that thought.
“He’s a little bit longer, a little bit leaner, but with his speed, he can certainly open some things up for us offensively,” Groh said.
The Patriots hit dire needs in the roster by drafting an interior lineman, wide receiver and cornerback. They have eight remaining picks to continue to build on that depth — and, it’s likely fans won’t agree with some of the decision ahead.
