If Cole Strange turns out to be Logan Mankins 2.0, then we're all good with this, am I right?
The night of and day after round 1 of the NFL draft hasn't been kind to Patriots fans over the past 20 years. Sure, there have been some exceptions to that, but what we experienced last night is best described as it is what it is.
Bill Belichick doesn't care what's in Mel Kiper, Jr.'s hair or how PFF graded this year's crop of NFL prospects. He's building a team, damn it!
Logan Mankins 2.0 might be wishful thinking but it's clear the Patriots have some work to do on the offensive line if they're going to keep Mac Jones out of the hospital. Is that situation as dire as cornerback or linebacker? Suffice to say Belichick thinks so. Hard to imagine that an offensive guard from a non-Power 5 conference was the only prospect with a Round 1 grade on the Patriots big board but, well, yeah, it definitely is what it is.
It's easy to feel let down by this pick. There were sexier selections that could've been made. CB Andrew Booth, Jr., LB Nakobe Dean, OT Bernard Raimann, and WR George Pickens, just to cherry pick a few names. But maybe this is a good point to remind ourselves that nobody knows who actually "won the draft" for two or three years. Or that 31 other teams passed on those guys, too. Redrafting the Draft has become a cottage industry for pigskin pundits and bobbleheads looking for content to serve up. There's a reason for that. Every GM in the league is making bets. And bad beats happen.
It is what it is.
More to come, obviously. The Patriots have 10 more picks as things stand heading into Day 2.
It's not like I won't be rooting for them come September. I would've rooted for them with James Ferentz starting at left guard.
Go Pats!
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