FOXBORO - In each of the past two seasons, the Patriots have drafted well enough to have 16 of their drafted players still on the team.
They've got 19 draftees since 2009 on the roster. Couple that with the haul from free agency this year in which they've signed 14 free agents and the Patriots just don't have a lot of job openings right now.
Which helps explain why they went tearing up in the first round Thursday night to grab two front-seven players who are long on character, leadership and NFL potential.
Dealing their 27th and 93rd overall picks, they went up to 21 to take Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones. Minutes after, they went up the board again, sending the 31st and 116th picks to Denver for a shot at Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower.
"I thought we had a good day today," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick when the rapidly-moving first round ended. Later, he added, "I think both players have some versatility, well work with them and figure out what works best for us and them. But excited to work with them; glad we have them on our team. I think theyll represent us well both on and off the field, at least thats our expectation."
The first round of the draft has turned into Christmas morning from football fans. And the Patriots so often have given their fans socks and plaid sweaters.
While draft analysts have celebrated the Patriots' ingenuity in trading down, adding picks, chasing value and massaging the board, there's been an annual, "That's it?" feeling around their moves.
Not this year. With a draft stacked with front-seven players, the Patriots added toughness and meat with Hightower and, in Jones, drafted a guy who fits the mold of the edge havoc-wreaker they've been missing.
Potentially.
That's the operative word, especially with Jones.
"Chandler is a little younger and has a little less experience coming out early," said Belichick. "He missed part of the season last year (knee injury). But very talented player, smart guy, works hard and really did a good job against some good quality players he faced in the last couple years at tackle in the Big East and in there on Syracuses schedule."
Jones is 6-5, 266 with 35.5 inch arms. He played right defensive end at Syracuse and would project to be over there for the Patriots as well, either standing up or in a three-point stance on the outside shoulder of the left tackle. But as Belichick pointed out, he can move around and occasionally dropped on zone blitzes.
With Mark Anderson signing with the Bills and Andre Carter a free agent and still coming back from his quadriceps injury, the Patriots had a need on the edge. Whether Jones will be up to speed quickly enough to fill it by September will take time to figure out. But even if he isn't, the flexibility the Patriots will have in their linebacker group grew with the addition of Hightower.
"He played middle linebacker really, or inside linebacker off the line for Alabama in their base defense and their nickel," Belichick said of Hightower. "But he also played defensive end in their nickel opposite Courtney Upshaw and they were the two defensive ends in their nickel package. He rarely came off the field defensively."
At 6-2, 265, he's a big-bodied, downhill hitter and was the leader of an historically good defense for Nick Saban.
When you consider the Patriots' penchant for going to five defensive backs, a 2-4-5 defense with linebackers like Rob Ninkovich and Hightower (and maybe Jermaine Cunningham if the light goes on) being able to put their hand on the ground and play as defensive ends is possible. Or Jones can be in that spot on the right and Jerod Mayo, Hightower, Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher and Trevor Scott can be in the mix in various deployments.
In short, there's talent and scheme versatility all over the place in the front-seven and we haven't even gotten into how these two can make Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, Jonathan Fanene and Brandon Deaderick's jobs change.
It's fascinating to wonder just how Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia will scheme it up. But at least there are actual players to muse about this year as opposed to wondering what all the picks the Patriots stored like nuts will one day turn into.
There was a sense Thursday night that the Patriots, by trading up to make these picks, were showing a sense of urgency for 2012. A "win now" mentality was being shown. Maybe.
Or maybe they simply feel they've built the depth they need on defense now and adding more guys in the 75-250 range from this draft was less important than getting guys who could challenge the starting lineup right away.
What the Patriots did Thursday may be more a reflection of what they've done in the past two drafts than what they need to do next year.