FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Defense. Defense. Defense.
The New England Patriots, clearly looking to beef themselves up on the defensive side of the ball after loading up on offensive free agents in the offseason, took four defensive players in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.
After trading up twice and taking Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones at No. 21 and Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower at No. 25 Thursday, the Patriots then took unheralded defensive back Tavon Wilson (Illinois) with the No. 48 pick Friday. Wilson was 16th choice of the second round.
New England - then slated to pick at No. 62 - shipped what would have been its final selection to the Green Bay Packers for a third rounder (No. 90 overall), as well as choice No. 163, a fifth rounder who will be taken Saturday.
At No. 90, they took Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette. The 6-4 1/2, 274-pound Bequette, the defensive MVP of the 2012 Cotton Bowl, can play either defensive end of outside linebacker. He is a former teammate of Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett.
"I feel very comfortable at both (positions)," Bequette said on a conference call. "The more I (stood up at linebacker), the more it grew on me. Whatever the coaches want me to do, I'm going to do it. If that's what the coaches want me to do, I can't wait to do it."
He said he saw Mallett at the Arkansas spring game last week, adding, "I told him `I would love to join you up there."'
Bequette's background, playing in the Southeastern Conference, was a key ingredient for New England in its scouting process. Not unlike Hightower, who starred for the Crimson Tide, and played in the same division of the SEC - the West - with Bequette.
"The level of competition is important," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "Over the last couple of years, you can see (Bequette) rushing against NFL players. That's part of the evaluation."
Wilson, honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2011, arrived at Illinois as a cornerback, but moved to safety his junior year because of an injury need. He was then moved back to corner as a senior. He considers himself capable of playing either and said he was used in all special teams situations.
"He's a versatile secondary player," Belichick said. "He has some versatility. We'll see where he fits in."
Not rated highly on the draft lists of most experts and not considered a strong tackler, Wilson wasn't invited to the NFL Combine. But he said he "watched every rep" to see what those players were doing and what he had to do to get better.
Considering what Wilson has overcome in his life - he was a year old when his father was murdered, and was 12 when his mother drowned at a pool party - making the NFL might not seem all that tough.
"Everybody's got to overcome adversity. I overcame a lot of things in my life," he said. "That's the reason why I'm here today and some of the reason why I'm the person I am today."
Summing up his day, Wilson said, "It's an exciting day. It's everything I ever dreamed of."
Earlier in the day, Jones and Hightower were officially welcomed to the team at Gillette Stadium.