The clock struck midnight on Cole Strange as he was among several cut by the Patriots to reach the 53-man roster limit on Tuesday. (AP photo)

There were groans among New England Patriot fans the night of the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft when the team under Bill Belichick’s direction chose offensive guard Cole Strange with their first pick, 29th overall.

Turns out the fandom was eventually right.

Strange was among several cut by the Patriots on Tuesday to reach the 53-man roster limit

Strange, 27, was drafted out of Chattanooga. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder, has played in 30 games with 29 starts during his three seasons with the Patriots. He started his first 17 games at left guard before suffering an injury in December of the 2023 season. Strange began the 2024 season on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List and was limited to just three games with two starts at center.

He just was not able to make enough headway in training camp to satisfy the head coach Mike Vrabel regime, even as a depth piece. Caedan Wallace, as well as Ben Brown and rookie Jared Wilson beat him out; it’s possible the Patriots will go with Wilson at left guard alongside No. 1 pick Will Campbell at left tackle.

Besides Strange, the Patriots released these players: CB Miles Battle, G Mehki Butler, G Jack Conley, CB Brandon Crossley, TE C.J. Dippre, S Marcus Epps, RB JaMycal Hasty, T Demontrey Jacobs, RB Terrell Jennings, WR John Jiles, DE Truman Jones, C Alec Lindstrom, DB Kobee Minor, DT David Olajiga, LB Cam Riley, DT Jahvaree Ritzie, K Parker Romo, TE Gee Scott Jr., LB Bradyn Swinson and WR Jeremiah Webb.

Strange may also have been a victim of the Patriots keeping eight receivers or a third tight end. Stefon Diggs, Pop Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, rookies Efton Chism III and Kyle Williams, vets Mack Hollins and Kendrick Bourne, plus Javon Baker all made the initial cut. Bourne has been hurt and perhaps his familiarity with the Josh McDaniels offense kept him on the roster. It’s possible he could go on short-term injured reserve (four weeks), but the Patriots didn’t do that yesterday. Instead they put WR Ja’Lynn Polk and LB Jahlani Tavai on injured reserve; Tavai is short term and Polk is out for the year.

Baker was kept likely because of his speed on special teams, which Vrabel began using him in the preseason. He did not excel as a receiver. Jack Westover was kept as a third tight end but he’d be a fullback in McDaniels’ offense, which kept him on the roster. Again, creative use of players.

The other question marks who remain for now are edge defender Anfernee Jennings and safety Kyle Dugger. The Patriots likely don’t want to release Dugger for the cap hit and guaranteed contract; neither he nor Jennings were rumored to be bringing back much in any trade talks. Fifth round pick Bradyn Swinson got beat out by undrafted free agent Elijah Ponder as an LB/Edge rusher.

The Patriots also only kept two quarterbacks, obviously Drake Maye and backup Josh Dobbs. They cut rookie free agent Ben Woolridge a few days ago, but they could bring him or another QB back for the practice squad.

Keep in mind, too, that this roster is far from a done deal. The Patriots pick fourth in waiver rounds so they’ll have a good chance to scoop up a player that catches their eye.

Meanwhile, we’ll see if anyone does just that with Cole Strange.

(Patriots media relations dept. contributed to this report.)