The past few drafts have generally received good reviews from Patriots fans, at least as they pertain to first-round picks. Will Campbell is well thought of as a left tackle, Drake Maye looks to be the future of the franchise, and Christian Gonzalez is already a bona fide number one cornerback. Back in 2022, though, the first round was not met with such admiration.
The Patriots made UT-Chattanooga guard Cole Strange their first with the 29th pick in 2022, following a trade down with the Chiefs that landed Andy Reid and company All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. Strange's elite run blocking, promised to the Patriots, hasn't been evident through his first three seasons, and while his 79.0 pass blocking grade in 2024 was impressive, he has largely been a disappointment.
Aside from athleticism, Strange's guard/center flexibility made him an attractive pick in the minds of Bill Belichick and Eliot Wolf. In [Matt Holder's re-draft](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25213462-re-drafting-every-nfl-teams-worst-draft-pick-over-last-5-years) of every team's worst pick of the last five years, the Patriots get what Strange was always thought to be.
Patriots land Super Bowl-winning center in newest re-draft
----------------------------------------------------------
An athletic and versatile interior offensive lineman comes in the form of former Nebraska Cornhusker Cam Jurgens. He played sparingly in 2022 with Jason Kelce still at center, but with the departure of Isaac Seumalo at right guard the following offseason, Jurgens got his chance, playing more than 700 snaps. When Kelce retired, Jurgens moved back to center and was rewarded with a $68 million deal.
Jurgens in New England likely would have had a similar career path. Like Strange, he'd likely have started at left guard opposite Mike Onwenu. The same would have been the case in the next two seasons, but with his flexibility and David Andrews' release and retirement, he may have made the move to center this year.
With Andrews' injury this past year, Jurgens may have moved to center immediately, allowing rookie Layden Robinson to make starts earlier.
Regardless of what Jurgens's career path may have looked like in New England, he shares many similarities with Cole Strange, although he has demonstrated a stronger ability to execute over his last two seasons.
While it's disappointing that the Patriots couldn't do better than Strange with the 29th pick, it speaks volumes that their worst selection over the last half-decade is a starter, albeit not a great one. For as much heat as the team gets in the draft, and rightfully so, their [first-round picks](https://musketfire.com/patriots-were-doomed-the-moment-they-gambled-with-a-2021-draft-class-qb-01jybv4repxm) in the past few years may not have been as bad as initially thought.
### More Patriots news and analysis: