Patriots draft pick Cole Strange didn't believe draft phone call: 'Is this a prank?'
New England Patriots first-round draft pick Cole Strange might want to reconsider his friends. Strange was so worried his friends would prank him on draft day that he didn't believe it when the Patriots called to let him know they were going to draft him.
Strange and his dad, Greg, were watching the opening round of NFL draft in April hoping Strange would get a call from a team. As the night dragged on, the two started to get tired. That's when Strange received a call from an unknown number.
Strange picked up the phone, and the voice on the other end identified themselves as a member of the Patriots. Strange initially didn't believe it, actually asking the caller if Strange was being pranked, Greg told Masslive.com.
“(Cole) said, ‘Sir, I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all, but I’ve gotta know because I’ve got some crazy friends. Is this a prank?’ The guy said, ‘Hold on just a second.’ And then Bill Belichick got on the phone and of course, unless you’ve been under a rock for the last 20 years, you know Bill Belichick’s voice."
That's a pretty definitive way to prove Strange wasn't being pranked. Belichick has one of the most recognizable voices of any NFL coach. It's no surprise Strange believed the call once Belichick got on the line.
While Belichick doesn't strike fans as the type to pull pranks, he does have a sense of humor. Strange and his father loudly celebrated upon hearing Belichick's voice on the line. When there was a break in the action, Belichick apparently quipped, "You’ve gotta act like you’ve been there, man."
Cole Strange pick drew some interesting reactions around NFL
The Strange pick came as a surprise to some around the league. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay laughed upon hearing the pick. Some interpreted that as McVay criticizing the pick. He later explained he liked Strange and thought the Rams had a shot to draft him. He laughed after realizing how wrong he was to think Strange might have been available when the Rams picked.
Some analysts believed Belichick reached with the pick, though that was consistent with the way Belichick operated all draft.
The phone call ultimately proved to be a tremendous moment for Strange, but we have to question what kind of friends would actually prank a first-round pick on draft day? The fact that Strange was worried about says a lot about his friends, but, to their credit, even they knew not to mess with a first-round pick on draft day.