While much of the offseason focus was on who Mac Jones would be throwing the ball to in his second NFL season, the Patriots seemed more preoccupied with answering a different question: who will be protecting him?
That issue didn’t have a clear resolution heading into the NFL Draft thanks to the loss of starting guards Shaq Mason (trade) and Ted Karras (free agency). Now, it seems to, with first-round pick Cole Strange expected to slot in opposite Michael Onwenu at the guard positions alongside center David Andrews and veteran tackles Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown.
Of course, that’s still not how most Patriots fans or league experts think the team’s first-round pick should have been spent.