The Trench Warfare 2022 NFL Draft Film Room - Episode 7 featuring UT Chattanooga OL Cole Strange

Welcome back everyone to the seventh edition of the Trench Warfare draft film room with myself and special guest Cole Strange. Strange’s name has generated significant buzz over the last couple of months after a standout performance in Mobile at the Senior Bowl against a major uptick in competition, followed by testing like an elite athlete at the NFL Combine.

Over the course of our nearly 45-minute conversation we broke down dozens of film clips while discussing his journey from lightly recruited defensive end to the offensive line once he arrived on campus in Chattanooga, all the way until this point now where he is traveling extensively for top 30 visits across the country to different NFL franchises leading up to the draft in 10 days.

Free preview: Strange breaking down a standout rep against Kentucky on a wide zone run where he sheds a lot of insight into his background, mindset and technique:

Here are just a handful of some specific topics we covered in the full film room below:

• Switching to the O-line before ever stepping foot in a defensive meeting room

• Playing for six different offensive line coaches and how Strange viewed that in a positive light due to how many different approaches he was taught and getting to choose which one fit him best.

• Strange’s candidness throughout the interview stood out and was especially refreshing.

• How some line coaches are stingy with awarding ‘knockdowns’ and Strange told me him and “the boys” would sometimes lobby for more.

• Multiple reps where we discussed strike timing; when to speed it up, when to be more patient.

• Strange referring to most refs as ‘slime balls’ was a major highlight.

• Breaking down a 5-man protection called ‘61 scat.’

• A great example of work put in during the off-season with pass sets and hands translating to the field against Kentucky.

• Strange brought up several areas that were the most challenging for him to adapt to in his move from defensive to offensive line including moving backwards in pass-protection and working flat down the line of scrimmage on screens rather than be aggressive at the snap.

• When the ‘flash’ or ‘bait’ technique can go wrong and why being selective with using it is vital for success in pass-protection.