Patriots Urged to Trade Former First-Round Pick

The New England Patriots could ultimately cut ties with a former first-round draft pick.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; General view of a New England Patriots helmet during the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Patriots 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have been busy overhauling their roster this offseason, and in the process of revamping pretty much everything, some players may find themselves out of a job.

Or, at the very least, they may be uncomfortably on the hot seat.

Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport has identified one Patriots player who serves as the team's most obvious trade candidate heading into 2025, and it's offensive lineman Cole Strange — a former first-round draft pick.

"When the New England Patriots drafted small-school standout Cole Strange out of Chattanooga (choo-choo) in 2022, it sent quite a few eyebrows skyward. But it was hardly the first time Bill Belichick had zigged when others zagged. Strange has shown nothing to indicate that Belichick was right," Davenport wrote. "The 6’5”, 310-pounder started all 17 games at left guard as a rookie but struggled mightily. Then, the injuries hit—Strange missed seven games in 2023 and played in just three a year ago."

Even with New England needing some help along the interior of its offensive line, Strange's status for next season as far as playing time is concerned is up in the air, especially with the Pats adding so many offensive linemen over the last several months.

"If that’s the case, the Pats' best bet may be to admit the mistake, get what they can and give Strange a fresh start somewhere else," Davenport wrote.

Of course, the question is, what exactly can the Patriots recoup for Strange at this point? While he is still just 26 years old (he turns 27 next month), he has shown very little to indicate that he is a capable starter on the NFL level. Even when he was healthy, he was pedestrian in the trenches.

Perhaps New England can extract a seventh-round pick from someone in exchange for Strange.

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