Green Bay Packers Meet w/ Chattanooga OL Cole Strange

When it comes to the current makeup of the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line, that is one of the more stable positions on the roster.

Lucas Patrick may be hitting be free agency, but the Packers have a strong young core of interior offensive linemen in Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, and Royce Newman—not to mention that Elgton Jenkins will return at some point, and Green Bay also has two former draft picks in Cole Van Lanen and Jake Hanson on the roster as well.

At tackle, Billy Turner is under contract for one more year, and we should see David Bakhtiari back on the field in 2022. Also, Yosh Nijman had shown that he can be a capable NFL tackle.

With that said, offensive line is one of those positions where there is no such thing as too much depth—just look at last season as the reason why. Also, Brian Gutekunst would mention in his press conference that the offensive line is one of the deeper positions in this year’s draft, and if you have the opportunity to draft good players, obviously, you do it.

This is the time of the year, as part of the pre-draft process, that the Green Bay Packers will be meeting with draft prospects.

So far, thanks to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, we know that the Green Bay Packers have met with Taysir Mack, Shamarious Gilmore, and Chigoziem Okonkwo. Now you can add Chattanooga interior offensive lineman Cole Strange to that list as well.

Strange has five years of playing experience over six seasons at 1-AA Chattanooga, which includes 44 starts, with most coming at left guard, but he also started one game at center at two at left tackle.

This past season specifically, the 6’6” – 301 pound Strange allowed just one sack, five total pressures, and was called for six penalties per PFF. He was named an FCS All-American and won the Jacobs Blocking Award, which is given to the Southern Conference’s best blocker.

Strange was among PFF’s highest-graded guards this past season, both overall and as a run-blocker, at the 1-AA level. He was also one of the biggest risers to come out of the Senior Bowl after several strong practices and not allowing a single pressure in the All-Star game.

For more on Strange and what he can offer an NFL team, here is what Joe Marino of The Draft Network had to say about him in his pre-draft report:

"“Strange is an aggressive but controlled blocker that has a nasty demeanor with good power. He’s a good athlete that showcases the ability to work laterally and hit blocks in space. He’s a people-mover in the run game and his motor always runs hot. In pass protection, his punch is firm and he has a stout anchor. He has terrific awareness and understands body positioning.”"

Strange certainly could be one of those players that flies up big boards during this pre-draft process, but at the moment, Marino has a fourth-round grade on him.

For the Green Bay Packers, I do not see them spending a top-100 pick on an interior offensive lineman given the young depth that they already have at the position, along with their ability to find Day-3 tackles that they are able to move inside.

However, if Strange is available on Day-3, he could be a good value pick for the Green Bay Packers as they continue to bolster an already strong position group.