Getty Kendrick Bourne
I
f New England Patriots fans ever wondered if their favorite players react to some moves in the NFL Draft in the same fashion that they do, they finally got their answer.
ALL the latest Patriots news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Patriots newsletter here!
Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne joined his teammates for an NFL Draft watch party hosted by Mac Jones. With Bourne having his own YouTube channel, the wide receiver posted a video of the event on his channel this past week.
As Patriots fans know, New England ended up making a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs to move down in the first round. The Pats traded the No. 21 overall pick to the Chiefs for the 29th 94th and 121st overall picks.
“Oh my (expletive) goodness,” Bourne said after the trade. “Oh my god, bro. … I’ve been waiting all day for this (expletive)! Bill! Bill! We’ve been waiting all day. I’m out of here, bro.”
The Chiefs ended up drafting Trent McDuffie, a cornerback who was on the Patriots radar.
“You lucky you didn’t come to the Patriots, ’cause you was gonna get routed up at practice!” Bourne said.
Bourne is coming off an impressive 2021 season. He racked up 55 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns in his first season in New England.
A Long History of Trading Back
Bourne got introduced to something that fans in New England are all too used to. With Bill Belichick as head coach, the team has made a habit of trading back.
New England hasn’t made a first-round selection in six times over Belichick’s career on the Patriots sideline and the fifth time in the last 12 seasons. Only five teams haven’t traded out of the first round at all in the 21st century, including the Bengals, Cardinals, 49ers, Jaguars, and Lions.
Patriot fans have already seen these moves pay off. In 2020, New England traded the 23rd overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots turned the pick they received from LA, the 37th overall pick, into Kyle Dugger.
The safety recorded 156 tackles, four interceptions, and a fumble recovery. In 2022, Dugger will continue to be a key part of New England’s secondary.
Who Did New England End up Taking?
Bourne must have been happy when the Patriots finally decided to make a pick. With the 29th overall pick, New England ended up taking Cole Strange out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Strange finished the 2021 season with 11 starts and was named first-team all-conference. Lance Zierlein describes Strange as a highly experienced interior lineman.
“He will lose a tug-of-war battle as a pure man-to-man blocker, but wins with lateral quickness and an understanding of angles as a move blocker,” he said.
Strange will immediately have the opportunity to compete for a starting job. With New England losing Ted Karras and Shaq Mason, the Patriots will need to sure up the offensive line.
But Bourne had a similar reaction to Patriots fans when New England decided to trade back. Hopefully, he and the rest of the fans won’t have to do the same in the 2023 NFL Draft.