In the latest edition of the “It Is What It Is” podcast, WEEI’s Chris Price and CSNNE’s Mike Giardi take a look at the Patriots offseason on both sides of the ball, try and get a handle on which new guys will make an impact first, and whether or not the Patriots have altered their style when it comes to drafting and developing wide receivers. Listen or download here.

Bill Belichick

FOXBORO — Courtesy of the Patriots, here’s the transcript of Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s press conference following Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

BB: So we’re pretty much halfway through the drafting process here. I think we were able to improve our team here tonight with the four players we selected, so we’re pleased with that. We’ll see how it all comes together. I felt like we got good value for our picks, good players, guys that have a lot of things going for them, so we’ll see how it all works out. Obviously we made the trade yesterday, which got us basically two extra picks: the 83rd pick, which was Logan Ryan, and the pick we have tomorrow which is 102. Those are two players that we didn’t have prior to Thursday’s start and hopefully those will be two guys – whatever happens tomorrow – that we can add to what we originally came in with. Again, I felt like we got good value for the picks that we had: three defensive players and a receiver. Jamie [Collins] is an interesting guy that came into college as a safety, played inside linebacker, played outside linebacker in a 3-4 and then played defensive end last year. He’s been a very productive player in the kicking game. He’s got a lot of versatility, solid player, hard worker, great kid. Of course Aaron [Dobson] was a great high school basketball player and football player. Was a very productive player at Marshall. Had a real good Senior Bowl. Both players have real good size, good speed for their position, and have been productive at good levels. And of course the two Rutgers DBs – that was a very good defensive unit that they had last year, over the past few years actually, but especially last year. Of course Logan [Ryan] had a very productive year outside and Duron [Harmon] inside. I know that whole group, but especially those guys, are close. They communicated well, played well. Both were very productive, both defensively and in the kicking game, solid guys. We’ve had a number of our players here comment on their personal characteristics, so I think we’re getting some high quality guys there as well as good football players. We’ll see how things go tomorrow. Right now we’re scheduled to be in the fourth and seventh rounds. We’ll see how all that comes together. Like I said, I feel like we improved our team and hopefully we’ll be able to do that tomorrow through the draft process and the subsequent free agent signings that will come post draft.

What are some of the things that stand out to you about Aaron Dobson?

BB: He’s big, he’s fast, he’s got good hands, he’s a strong player; smart, very smart. He has some position flexibility and versatility. Catches the ball very well. We’ll see how it goes.

There’s one stat that says he recorded no drops as a senior. Does that speak to his hands?

BB: I don’t know what the stats were. I mean, he’s got good hands. Every receiver has dropped the ball. Every quarterback has thrown an interception. Every defensive player has missed a tackle. Every guy that has ever carried the ball has fumbled at some point. I don’t want to get carried away on that, but I’d say he has good hands.

How would you define this class of overall prospects in this year’s draft?

BB: Like any other draft, we’ll see as time goes on. Guys have a lot of strengths. There are a lot of good players out there. How they develop or fit into the different systems and how they are able to respond to the opportunities and competition that they have, that’s all in front of them. And I’m sure, like every year, there will be guys that aren’t drafted or guys taken in the sixth or seventh round that nobody will be talking about that at some point everybody will be talking about. It’s a very unscientific process. We’re all doing the best we can. Everybody’s looking at the same board. We’ll see how it all turns out. I don’t know.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Steelers took Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones 17th overall, giving them a reliable pass-rusher who had 14.5 sacks last season.

Following Jones’ selection, the 49ers moved up from No. 31 to No. 18 to take LSU safety Eric Reid. The pick fills a major need, and San Francisco clearly wasn’t comfortable waiting to see if he’d be there at the end of the first round after Kenny Vaccaro was already off the board.

The Raiders took Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden 12th overall Thursday, completing Hayden’s remarkable recovery from a life-threatening injury sustained in practice in September.

Hayden was playing in just his second FBS season when a collision with a teammate resulted in a torn inferior vena cava, an injury normally suffered in high-speed car accidents. His stock rose as more teams became aware of him and saw tape of him at Houston, as he went from a potential late-round pick to the 12th player taken in the draft.

For our story on Hayden from the Combine, click here.

In the latest edition of the “It Is What It Is” podcast, Chris Price and Kirk Minihane talk about the nominating process for the Patriots Hall of Fame, as well as the chances of first-time nominees like Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison, if Bill Parcells and Willie McGinest have a shot and whether or not some members of the current team could make it. To listen or download, click here.

According to a report from Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (via twitter), the Patriots have agreed to re-sign right tackle Sebastian Vollmer. Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reports (via twitter) that a four-year deal will be announced on Monday. Vollmer, 28, was taken by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 draft. He started 15 games for the Pats last year, and has played in at least 14 games in three of his four NFL seasons.

For more Patriots coverage, visit weei.com/patriots.