FOXBORO -- Here are some quick notes and observations from the first Patriots OTA session of the year that was open to the media . . .
WHO'S IN
* Patriots long-snapper Joe Cardona, a fifth-round selection out of Navy, was present at the session and working under the watchful eyes of newly-promoted special teams coach Joe Judge and his assistant Bubba Ventrone. If he hasn't received it already, Cardona will need special permission from the Navy to delay his deployment and pursue his NFL career.
* The team had a new addition to the practice field in the form of a small remote-controlled drone. When Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked about the purpose of the drone, which is typically equipped with a camera, he said he didn't know what the benefit was. The Cowboys have reportedly used drone images during OTAs in order to give coaches and players a better view of the on-the-field action.
WHO'S OUT
* Alan Branch, Malcolm Butler, Jamie Collins, AJ Derby, Dont'a Hightower, Chandler Jones, Chris Jones, Brandon LaFell, Jerod Mayo, Sealver Siliga, Matthew Slater, Sebastian Vollmer and Ryan Wendell all appeared to be among the missing for Friday's session.
* Rookie safety Jordan Richards was not present as he awaits Stanford's commencement, which is scheduled for June 14.
WHAT THEY WORE
* Helmets, shorts and t-shirts. Defensive players wore blue, while offensive players wore gray. Most players did not wear jersey numbers anywhere, which made taking attendance relatively difficult.
WHAT THEY DID
* Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo split their 11-on-11 repetitions evenly. Brady went 7-for-11, while Garoppolo went 8-for-11. At one point, during 7-on-7 work, Brady completed six consecutive attempts.
New England Patriots
* Though different variations of receivers, backs and tight ends appeared on the field at the same time, tight end Rob Gronkowski and receiver Julian Edelman saw most of their snaps with Brady. Garoppolo got a significant amount of work with Aaron Dobson (who split snaps on the outside with Brian Tyms), tight end Scott Chandler and receiver Josh Boyce.
* Another newly-signed tight end, Fred Davis, caught passes from both Brady and Garoppolo.
* Two of the best plays on the day came from Gronkowski and Edelmen. The big tight end snatched one Brady offering out of the air in the middle of the field with safety Devin McCourty draped on his back and flipped the ball over his shoulder after the catch. Edelman made a nice grab near the front corner of the end zone with Logan Ryan in coverage.
* The punt team was the focus during special teams sessions. Edelman, Danny Amendola and Jonathan Krause shared reps as the returners.
* Brady, who appeared animated after plays both good and bad, spent time on a side field working with the tight ends group that included Gronkowski, Chandler, Michael Hoomanawanui and James Develin.
* Rookie gaurds Tre' Jackson and Shaq Mason appeared to get their share of snaps alongside second-year center Bryan Stork.
* Those who spoke to reporters after doing some hill sprints following practice were Belichick, Garoppolo, Amendola, Edelman and linebacker Brandon Spikes.