FOXBORO — When it comes to the Patriots, there are several brotherly connections that reach throughout the NFL. Defensive end Chandler Jones has a brother (Arthur) who plays for the Ravens, while tight end Rob Gronkowski has seen brothers Chris and Dan also reach the NFL, with the latter spending a few weeks with the Patriots in 2011.

Into this picture comes the McDonald Brothers: Nick has been with the Patriots the last two seasons after breaking into the NFL as a part of the Packers in 2010, while his brother Chris was picked up last week as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State.

When Chris was signed by the Patriots, his brother gave him a call.

“He just told me to work hard and do what I have to do. It’s about me,” he said Saturday during a break in the action at rookie minicamp. “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to be with my brother, but this time is my time. And I have to do what I have to do.”

The brothers have engaged in an amazing journey just to get to this point. As teenagers, they were adopted by separate families. Chris said Saturday he considers his brother an inspiration, but at the same time, he understands the reality of the situation that’s in front of him.

“My brother being in the NFL is not going to help me stay in the NFL,” he said. “I have to do whatever it takes for myself.”
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Chandler Jones

FOXBORO — For an NFL youngster, the transition between the first and second season can be even tougher than the jump from college to the pros for several reasons, including the fact that the league now has a full year of tape on you. The moves you used to surprise people as a rookie don’t work any more, and it’s on you to make the adjustments to take your game to another level.

For Chandler Jones, those adjustments are multifaceted. For one, in the wake of his 2012 season, he wanted to improve his upper body strength. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end out of Syracuse is a long, lean pass rusher, but wanted to bulk up to try and gain an advantage on opposing tackles.

“I’m still working on it — it’s a long process,” said Jones, the Syracuse product had 10 quarterback hits and six sacks as a rookie with the Patriots in 2012. “You can’t just wake up and just get bigger and stronger. [Strength] coach Harold [Nash] and [assistant strength] coach Moses [Cabrera] do a great job at strength and conditioning, so I’m excited.”

He’s also managed to do some boxing as part of his offseason workouts. He was initially set on training with his brother, MMA fighter Jonny “Bones” Jones, but a toe injury to Jonny may have set that make a bit.

“His toe was pretty bad, I don’t know if you guys saw it — his toe kind of broke out of the skin,” Chandler said of the gruesome injury his brother recently endured. “Actually I didn’t go down and train with him, but I did do some boxing and MMA right up over in Providence with [teammate] Brandon Deaderick. It was great training, very great training.”

It hasn’t been all work this offseason for Jones. He said Thursday he took about five weeks off to relax and recharge after a long rookie year.

“I was talking about that the other day,” he said. “Someone asked me ‘How was the offseason?’ There really isn’t an offseason. Even though you try to unplug from the game and get your mind off of it, you’re always thinking about what you could’ve done on that play or in that game. Physically, yeah, there’s definitely a resting factor, but you know mentally, you’re always thinking about football. That’s your job.”

When it comes to off-field stuff, Jones — who met second-round pick Jamie Collins for the first time on Thursday, just before the rookie was presented with his jersey in a ceremony alongside owner Robert Kraft — is excited to get his second year started for several reasons, not the least of which is that he’ll have a chance to show his chops as a leader.

“Being a rookie, especially being a first-round draft pick, you don’t want to make any mistakes. You’re nervous about going into every drill,” he said when asked about the offseason workouts, which are ongoing at Gillette Stadium. “Now going into my second year in the NFL, I kind of try to lead, be the first one at every drill, and just try to be a leader and that’s what my biggest focus is, taking the game more seriously.”

WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that might be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2013 NFL draft. Here is one in a series of profiles of players who could be on the board when it’s time for the Patriots to make a selection.

Dion Jordan missed most of the 2012 season with a torn labrum but still is expected to go early in the first round. (AP)

DION JORDAN

Position: Defensive end/outside linebacker

School: Oregon

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 248 pounds

Achievements: 2011 All-Pac-12 first team (coaches)

What he brings: If NFL teams were simply looking for the best athletic specimen in the draft, Jordon would be this year’s top prospect. However, the former Duck has to prove that he can bulk up and add power to that athleticism skill in order to fully translate to the pro game. That being said, there are some that still believe he might be the top defensive player in this year’s crop of rookies.

Jordan has drawn a lot of comparisons to the top pass rush prospects in the past few years. Mike Mayock, for one, has referred to him as a “raw Aldon Smith.” However, Jordan is much more of an overall defender than pure pass-rusher. Unlike many players who are lumped in as 3-4 outside linebackers to get after the quarterback and drop back into a zone to keep offenses honest, Jordan has real coverage skills in space and was even tasked with man up against slot players while at Oregon. On the flip side, he’s still a ways away from being able to play consistently as a 4-3 defensive end if tasked to do so. However, treating Jordan like another Chandler Jones would be a waste of his skills in space, despite their similarities as long, flexible pass-rushers.

Jordan’s numbers during the season (10.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks) weren’t stellar, although that can easily be attributed to him playing since October with a torn labrum, for which he recently had surgery. However, the edge rusher went on to put up some great performances in the scouting process, running a 4.60 40 time and 7.02 3-cone drill at the combine while also adding nearly 25 pounds to his frame. That last part has played a large part in Jordan’s rise up draft boards, as scouts were tentative of how a 225-pound edge rusher would perform. Now, though, Jordan has shown he has the work ethic to bulk up in addition to maintaining his athleticism at a higher weight.

Don’t get confused by the former tight end recruit’s “athlete” label. Jordan can play. His pass-rushing ability is elite among prospects, combining incredible length, bend and technique to get past pass-blockers on top of an explosive first step (did we mention he was athletic?). When moving in space or in coverage, he can take on blockers, move sideline to sideline and take down ball-carriers with authority like any pure linebacker prospect. At the same time, he also can stick with skill position players in coverage that no other potential 4-3 end has any business covering. All of this comes with a set of elite outside pass-rush skills. He’s versatile and can do whatever you need of a outside linebacker/defensive end “tweener.” Just don’t ask him to eat up interior linemen on running downs.

Where the Patriots could get him: Round 1 (through trade)

Notes: Earlier this week, any thought of Jordan ending up on the Patriots was nothing more than a pipe dream, considering Jordan’s status as a top-10 prospect and Bill Belichick’s reluctance to trade up more than a few picks in the draft, if he does so at all. However, with news emerging last week that Jordan would be visiting with the Patriots, there may be something there. Belichick is smart enough to know that Jordan won’t fall to No. 29, so he may have something in the works. Or not. He’s been known to do strange things before.

As mentioned earlier, Jordan is recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum suffered early in the season. While the rehab rendered him unable to perform at his pro day, Jordan’s stock is more or less intact at this point, and he didn’t really need to prove much else. Meanwhile, reports have placed the former Duck’s timetable to return at about the start of training camp, which should put teams looking to draft him more at ease.

Jordan’s main draw is his athleticism, as shown by the fact that his 40 time blew many other top prospects out of the water (yes, we’re talking to you, Manti Te’o). However, there are some concerns as to whether or not he can bulk up his frame to the level of Smith and Jones, who both weigh in at about 260 pounds. Jordan’s current weight of 248 pounds certainly will suffice for 3-4 defenses that want to make full use of his coverage skills and agility in space. But teams that would want him to become an elite pass-rush threat (i.e. the Patriots) would need him to add more to his frame if he were to slide in as a 4-3 end.

Related articles: Yahoo Sports: Perseverance leads Oregon’s Dion Jordan to brink of NFL after accident almost ended his dream

Pro Football Talk: Dion Jordan doesn’t miss playing offense

SB Nation: 2013 NFL Draft: Breaking down Dion Jordan’s strengths and weaknesses

Video: Here’s a compilation of highlights from Jordan’s 2012 season.

Chandler Jones

Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones will not need surgery on either of his ankles, according to multiple reports. Jones, who suffered an injury to his right ankle in a Nov. 18 win over the Colts, hurt his left ankle in the divisional playoff win over the Texans on Jan. 13. After the season ended, Jones told the media he was going to meet with the team’s medical personnel later that day to see if surgery would be needed.

The rookie started strong — after his first eight games, the Syracuse product was leading the team with six sacks (including two in a loss to the Seahawks) and 11 quarterback hits. He also had three forced fumbles (including one in the first quarter of his first game as a professional), and was named AFC Rookie of the Month and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September. But over the last eight regular-season games — whether it was injury, scheme or the rookie wall — Jones appeared to slow. In the final eight games, he had no sacks, no forced fumbles and one quarterback hit.

For more on the Patriots, check out weei.com/patriots.

Chandler Jones was part of an important rookie class for the Patriots. (AP)

This year’s group of Patriots’ rookies collectively made more of an impact in their first season than any other group of first-year players since the 2003 class. (While the 2010 draft class will likely have a greater long-term impact, the 2012 and 2003 groups were asked to do more in their first full season in the NFL — for more on that breakdown, check out the comparison I did on each draft class here.) With their first season now done, let’s take a player-by-player look at how each one of them did.

Chandler Jones: The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defensive end — the first of two first-round picks made by the Patriots last spring — started out on a great note. With eight games in the books, the Syracuse product was leading the team with six sacks (including two in a loss to the Seahawks) and 11 quarterback hits. He also had three forced fumbles (including one in the first quarter of his first game as a professional), and was named AFC Rookie of the Month and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September. (We wrote about him as a possible candidate for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award because of his fast start.) But over the last eight regular-season games, Jones had no sacks, no forced fumbles and one quarterback hit. A sizable portion of that was likely due to an ankle injury he suffered in November that left him on the shelf for a stretch, and probably caused a dip in his play when he did return. (While he wasn’t overwhelming statistically in the regular-season finale against Miami, he did play very well against the Dolphins, looking aggressive while doing a good job setting the edge.) He indicated Monday that he could be facing offseason surgery for his ankle issues.

Dont’a Hightower: After being slowed by a hamstring problem in September and October, the Alabama product became a steady and dependable member of New England defense, and ended his rookie season with 75 tackles (51 solo), four sacks, nine quarterback hits and three passes defensed. He managed to grow into a complimentary piece at linebacker, alongside veterans Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes. No reason to think that the 6-foot-2, 270-pound defender won’t be a consistent presence at linebacker for the Patriots for years to come.

Tavon Wilson: The 6-foot, 210-pounder out of Illinois started strong, with four interceptions in his first 10 games, as well as a 10-tackle performance in an October win over Denver that likely marked the high-water mark of the season for the defensive back, who certainly surpassed the expectations of many who initially called him a second-round reach. However, the acquisition of Aqib Talib affected his playing time maybe more than anyone else — the trade for Talib meant the Patriots moved Devin McCourty from corner to safety, and left Wilson on the sidelines. (Wilson was still part of an occasional rotation in sub packages, but his overall snap count drastically decreased.) Overall, he finished the regular-season with 48 tackles (32 solo), but one of the most impressive things you can say about Wilson and what he brought to the field was a nose for the ball: in addition to his four picks, he had six passes defensed and a pair of fumble recoveries.

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Danny Woodhead (thumb) appears to be a go for Sunday. (AP)

FOXBORO — In a sign they should be ready to go on Sunday, rookie defensive end Chandler Jones (ankle) and running back Danny Woodhead (left thumb) fully participated in practice Friday inside Gillette Stadium. Both are listed among five Patriots as “probable” for Sunday’s AFC championship against the Ravens. Trevor Scott, Marquice Cole and Nick McDonald also returned fully participated for a second straight day as the Patriots practiced outside in the bitter cold with 52 players. The team has not yet filled the roster spot vacated when Rob Gronkowski was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Thursday with a forearm injury.

As for the Ravens, running back Bernard Pierce (knee) returned to practiced on Friday on a limited basis after missing Thursday. Pierce is among four Ravens listed as questionable for the game. LB Dannell Ellerbe (ankle/back), FB Vonta Leach (knee/ankle) and WR David Reed (thigh) are also questionable. CB Asa Jackson (thigh) did not participate for a third straight day and was ruled out.

Here is Friday’s complete report:

Full Participation

DB Marquice Cole(finger) Probable

DE Chandler Jones (ankle) Probable

RB Danny Woodhead (thumb) Probable

OL Nick McDonald (shoulder) Probable

DE Trevor Scott (knee) Probable

For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots. WEEI-FM 93.7 will broadcast the AFC championship game between the Patriots and Ravens on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

FOXBORO — The Patriots had perfect attendance inside Gillette Stadium on Friday as they continued preparations for their AFC championship showdown with the Ravens Sunday evening in Foxboro.

Rob Gronkowski was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Thursday with a broken left arm, leaving the Patriots roster at 52 players. All 52 were bundled up in heavy sweats and shells on Friday on a bitterly cold but sunny day at Gillette.

The Patriots listed only Chandler Jones (ankle) as limited in practice on Thursday, with the remaining 51 players fully participating.

For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots. WEEI-FM 93.7 will broadcast the AFC championship game between the Patriots and Ravens on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.