The newest members of the New England Patriots are in Foxborough for the team's rookie orientation weekend. The 10 draft picks taken on April 15-16 will be joined by the 25 undrafted free agents signed by the team as well as select veterans.
New England's decision to draft an offensive lineman with its first pick surprised many who thought the team would take a defensive player, but it actually followed suit with recent years.
The Patriots grabbed tackle Adrian Klemm with the 46th overall pick, and then selected three offensive players with its ensuing picks. Of New England's 10 total choices, six came on the offensive side of the ball. Drafting offensive players is not uncommon in New England recently. In the last 11 drafts, the Patriots selected more defensive than offensive players only once. That year was 1995, when the team had seven picks and took four defensive guys in what was arguably its best draft over that 11-year period. After landing Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law in the first round, the Patriots grabbed starting middle linebacker Ted Johnson, running back Curtis Martin, center Dave Wohlabaugh and cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock. The breakdown of offensive and defensive players taken since 1990 is as follows:
| **Year** | **Offense** | **Defense** | **Notable Selections** |
| 1990 | 7 | 5 | LB Chris Singleton, DE Ray Agnew |
| 1991 | 10 | 4 | TE Ben Coates, T Pat Harlow, QB Scott Zolak |
| 1992 | 9 | 8 | FB Sam Gash, LB Todd Collins, FB Kevin Turner |
| 1993* | 5 | 4 | QB Drew Bledsoe, WR Troy Brown, LB Chris Slade, G Todd Rucci, WR Vincent Brisby |
| 1994 | 6 | 3 | DE Willie McGinest, G/T Max Lane, LB Marty Moore |
| 1995 | 3 | 4 | CB Ty Law, LB Ted Johnson, RB Curtis Martin |
| 1996 | 8 | 5 | WR Terry Glenn, S Lawyer Milloy, LB Tedy Bruschi |
| 1997 | 5 | 4 | DE Brandon Mitchell, S Chris Carter |
| 1998 | 6 | 4 | RB Robert Edwards, FB Chris Floyd |
| 1999 | 5 | 3 | C Damien Woody, LB Andy Katzenmoyer, RB Kevin Faulk, S Tony George |
| 2000 | 6 | 4 | ????? |
