Cole Strange in the middle of it all at the Reese's Senior Bowl.
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CHATTANOOGA---The buzz around Chattanooga Mocs guard
Cole Strange is not surprising at this week's practices leading into the Reese's Senior Bowl. He's taken full advantage of his opportunity to impress every talent evaluator NFL teams have because it's one of the biggest NFL Draft evaluation weeks every year.
It's a veritable who's who evaluating Strange and friends. Owners, general managers, head coaches, position coaches, personnel strategists, et al are on hand each day. And that's not counting how two NFL coaching staffs are hands on leading both teams putting the players through their paces.
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He's on the National team coached by the New York Jets staff, while the American squad is tutored by the Detroit Lions. Strange was a guard for the majority of his career with the Mocs, but he's spent this week at center giving all 32 teams an idea of what to expect from him when the April draft occurs.
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"That kind of positional flexibility is huge," Coach
Rusty Wright shared. "Every team has extensive film on him as a guard here and center there. They'll evaluate for themselves which spot he fits best, but those options certainly help his chances both at draft time and in camp down the road.
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"He's done so much this week to help himself. The Senior Bowl is an amazing opportunity."
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The game kicks off Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 p.m., Eastern time. Played at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala., it's televised on NFL Network. The Strange buzz on social media and regular media is growing both by people specifically looking at interior offensive line play and those concentrating on the guys futilely trying to best Strange during the week.
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Here are a few examples…
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After a 5-star practice on day two, here's what the NFL media had to say:
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NFL.com – Cole Strange, C, Chattanooga
Scouts are giving Strange consistently positive reviews for his performance over the first two days of practice. He lined up at guard in college but moved to center this week. He's played substantially stronger at the point of attack than his leaner frame might indicate and has held up reasonably well against bull rushers when tested. After getting beat by power on one rep, he came back with a quick set, which allowed him to halt the bull rush before it could even get started. He's a rising, zone-scheme center with the talent to start in the NFL.
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The Tennessean – Cole Strange, C, Chattanooga
Strange had a string of big wins in one-on-ones that hyped up his Senior Bowl teammates and coaches. The Knoxville native played left guard throughout his college career, a position that will be a major need if Rodger Saffold is a cap casualty.
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Giants.com (previewing the week) – Cole Strange, G, Chattanooga
There are several offensive tackles from outside the Power Five conferences on the Senior Bowl roster, but Strange is the non-Power Five interior O-lineman to keep an eye on. He's already battled top-notch talent, aiding the Mocs' near-upset of Kentucky in September. Unlike last year's buzz-making Division III lineman, Quinn Meinerz, Strange is a taller, leaner guard prospect. He'll get leverage, though, against shorter defensive tackles and show off very good open-field mobility to earn projections as a future NFL starter.
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And social media:
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