The New England Patriots selecting Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the No. 29 pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft surprised nearly everyone.
It also sparked a hilarious response from Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead, whose reaction the pick went viral on social media.
"How about that?" McVay said. "And we wasted our time watching him thinking he'd be at (pick) 104 maybe!"
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A bunch of people interpreted these comments as McVay laughing at the Patriots, the pick itself and/or head coach Bill Belichick.
McVay told reporters Saturday night that was not the case, and that his comments in the video were misunderstood.
"I wish that it wouldn't have gotten misunderstood," McVay said, as transcribed by Pats Pulpit. "It was more of a reflection of -- I was actually giving Les a hard time because when we started watching (Strange), I think we both were in agreement, there's no way he'd be there (at pick 104) because we like the player so much.
New England Patriots
"If there's anybody that has more respect for Coach Belichick and what he's done than I do, I'd like to see them because I have tremendous respect for this profession and the players that play at this level. And I would never want it to get misunderstood for Cole Strange or the Patriots organization that anything but respect for the player. That was my reaction and any misunderstanding was my fault for the way I probably communicated that."
The heartfelt truth or damage control?
Either way, it can be used as another source of motivation for Strange as he begins his Patriots career.