The intrigue around the Patriots’ first two draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft — Cole Strange and Tyquan Thornton — hasn’t cooled down since New England selected them last weekend.
If anything, the attempts to understand why New England reached for both players seemingly multiple rounds above their projected draft status have intensified since the team took Strange No. 29 overall and traded up for Thornton at No. 50, taking him ahead of receivers like Alex Pierce, Skyy Moore, and George Pickens.
NFL Network’s Mike Giardi suggests Bill Belichick and his staff’s insistence that neither player would’ve lasted much longer on the board might have been well-founded.