When Bill Belichick pulled the trigger on offensive guard Cole Strange with pick No. 29 of the 2022 NFL Draft, he was taking a mighty chance, leaving himself out there and subject to criticism with the kid from not-so-much of a football power, Chattanooga.
One of the key Belichick tenets over these two amazing decades of New England Patriots football is that guards can be found or developed out of the system. And here the legendary coach was, massaging a roster laden with a stack of needs, selecting this guard with a first-round pick.
Since taking charge of this franchise, Belichick has only picked five other offensive linemen in the top two rounds of the draft.
Three have been spectacular.
Matt Light (Round 2, 2001) is already in the Patriots Hall of Fame, a starter at left tackle on three Super Bowl champs with a 15-5 career playoff mark as a starter.
Logan Mankins (Round 1, 2005) is a seven-time Pro Bowler and a member of the All-2010s Hall of Fame team.
Nate Solder (Round 1, 2011) started at left tackle on two Super Bowl title teams here with 143 NFL starts over 10 years.
One was a complete bust – Adrian Klemm (Round 2, 2000).
And one remains an enigma with a grade of incomplete – current starting tackle Isaiah Wynn (Round 1, 2018).
Now comes Strange, whom the team immediately thrust into the first unit back in mini-camp.
That’s a major jump from the Southern Conference. So yes, when camp opens on July 26, the spotlight immediately gets focused on the rookie.
With that said, we plow along into our training camp positional previews.
Quarterbacks, running backs and the tight end/receiver group are in the books. We finish off the offense today with an interior defensive line, edge players, linebackers and defensive backs still to come.
1. David Andrews
Buy his stock: He’s the captain. He’s a rock. He’s the most consistent offensive lineman this team has had over the last five years.
Sell, sell, sell: It’s nearly impossible to question Andrews’ impeccable attitude, but I’ll do it anyway. Six years in and after taking a very team-friendly deal (4 years, $19 million in 2021), he was asked to restructure this past offseason. That, according to reports, drew some grumbling.
Longo says: If Andrews isn’t on the field, this team is in trouble deep. Fortunately, he’s averaged 14.3 starts a year, so that’s a good thing.
2. Trent Brown
Buy his stock: The dominant physical presence on this offensive front, he’s penciled in to return to the spot he held down for the 2018 title team, left tackle.
Sell, sell, sell: Brown is an old 29 and has made only 25 starts total in the last three seasons.
Longo says: Keeping Brown healthy has been a near-impossible task. We probably won’t see much of him in August as the team looks to preserve every snap they can when it counts.
3. Mike Onwenu
Buy his stock: The analytics crowd loves this dude. He was rated one of the top Patriots in 2021 by Pro Football Focus. A sixth-round pick n 2020, he’s the guy that allowed Belichick to deem Shaq Mason expendable.
Sell, sell, sell: I’m much more of an eye-test guy, and it felt like Onwenu got Mac Jones beaten up a little more than you might expect with an 87.0 PFF grade.
Longo says: The Patriots are going to run the football. That’s pretty obvious. Onwenu provides power and athleticism with the ability to get to the second level effectively. He’ll be a key if the Pats look ball-control.
4. Isaiah Wynn
Buy his stock: The load should be lessened as he shifts to the right side at tackle.
Sell, sell, sell: At times, he’s been overwhelmed, especially on the left side. Not your prototypical road-grader at tackle, going just 6-foot-2, 310 pounds.
Longo says: Once again, it’s a durability worry here. In four seasons as a pro, he’s made 33 starts (8.25 per year average).
5. Cole Strange
Buy his stock: This guy is a workout freak with amazing measurables. A combine monster, he’s the kind of guy who could be molded into an All-Pro with quality coaching. What he has physically can not be taught.
Sell, sell, sell: Youtube was not Strange’s ally as some very awkward – OK embarrassing – practice reps went viral.
Longo says: Ready or not, here he comes.
6. Justin Herron
Buy his stock: The sixth-round pick in 2020 is pretty versatile, having played tackle or guard. With the depth of this group a serious question, he’s the morning line favorite for the swing tackle spot.
Sell, sell, sell: Healthy linemen were tough to find at times last year. Herron played only 35 percent of the offensive snaps. That’s a concern.
Longo says: There is a giant drop-off around this spot on the O-line depth chart. Belichick is known for having interchangeable parts in spots 3-to-9 on his past O-lines. Herron might be the best of a less-than-quality lot of reserves.
7. Yodny Cajuste
Buy his stock: The former third-round pick out of West Virginia can play a little bit. He was on the field in seven games with a pair of starts in 2021 without looking out of place.
Sell, sell, sell: Availability is a serious, serious question.
Longo says: Opportunity is certainly knocking, but it’s go time. Can he answer the call?
8. James Ferentz
Buy his stock: Reliability and smarts personified. You’ll find more physically gifted types all over the NFL. There’s a reason this guy has played six NFL seasons.
Sell, sell, sell: He’s 33 and has six career starts in the NFL.
Longo says: Obviously, there is the Belichick coaching connection to the Ferentz Family. His coachability has allowed the journeyman to probably outlast his talent in the game. Again, the situation is right for him to again make a roster.
9. Yasir Durant
Buy his stock: A year in the system and his experience playing both guard and tackle make him a candidate for the regular roster for the 6-foot-7, 330-pounder.
Sell, sell, sell: He needs to find a way to be as imposing as his stature might dictate.
Longo says: Very much a bubble type, his age of 24 could help him stick with thoughts on the future.
10. Drew Desjarlais
Buy his stock: The former Canadian Football League standout is your typical outside-the-box Belichick story.
Sell, sell, sell: No collegiate experience in the States puts him at the bottom of the learning curve.
Longo says: Don’t undersell this guy. His former Grey Cup Championship teammate, former UNH standout QB Trevor Knight noted, “He’s a quiet, hard-worker, but a mean MF-er when it comes time to compete.”
11. Darryl Williams
Buy his stock: Definitely in the reserve center-guard mix with this group.
Sell, sell, sell: We’ve seen the woes the Kansas City Chiefs have endured on the offensive line, and the 25-year-old could do no better than the KC practice squad the last two years.
Longo says: At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he’ll aspire to be a poor man’s Ted Karras.
12. Chasen Hines
Buy his stock: The first of two late-round offensive line selections by Belichick, he was taken in the sixth round out of LSU.
Sell, sell, sell: Injuries slowed him down last year, holding him to seven starts as a senior for the Tigers.
Longo says: His athleticism gives this former defensive lineman a chance, especially if the Patriots are relying on the new zone run scheme that is being muttered about in media circles.
13. Andrew Stueber
Buy his stock: Played primarily right tackle with 14 starts as a fifth-year starter at Michigan. So yes, he’s seasoned more than most rookies.
Sell, sell, sell: He’s going to have to learn how to pass block at an NFL level.
Longo says: Seventh-round pick has the size and big-time college experience to challenge the upper echelon guys here.
14. Will Sherman
Buy his stock: The 2021 sixth-round pick showed enough in the preseason a year ago to earn a spot on the practice squad here.
Sell, sell, sell: At 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, he might be a bit of a tweener.
Longo says: The fight to repeat 2021 is on for the 23-year-old out of Colorado.
15. Arlington Hambright
Buy his stock: He’s a mature 26, despite coming out of Colorado in the 2020 draft.
Sell, sell, sell: The guard, a sixth-round pick by Chicago, couldn’t crack a lineup there, in an offensive line group that ranked among the NFL’s dregs.
Longo says: With the Bears in 2021, mainly on the practice squad, that might be his goal in camp here.
16. Kody Russey
Buy his stock: Does character count? He transferred to Houston for one year and was named a team captain on an offense that was pretty prolific in the American Athletic Conference.
Sell, sell, sell: Russey played center in college and might struggle with adjusting in the pro game.
Longo says: The longest of longshots.