The news on Monday that Patriots’ running back Laurence Maroney underwent shoulder surgery after New England’s season ended raises more questions, and as of right now yields few answers.

The status of Laurence Maroney, shown here running against the Chargers in January, remains questionable after he underwent shoulder surgery.

The Providence Journal / John Freidah

Maroney, the Pats’ first-round draft pick last year, reportedly had surgery in the morning and went home later the same day. But it is not known what type of surgery it was or which shoulder was worked on.

Maroney’s mother, Terry Terrell, was quoted in the Boston Globe, saying her son was “in great spirits” and “fine.”

The 22-year-old St. Louis native suffered what was officially listed as a back injury in Week 13 against the Lions, missing the next two games because of it. At the time, however, Maroney denied that he had a back injury or concussion. Still, the quick but powerful runner who had 610 yards and four touchdowns on 151 carries over the first 13 games of the regular season was hardly used the rest of the year.

Maroney had just eight carries for 13 yards in the AFC Championship game loss to the Colts, all but two of those carries coming in the first half.

Terrell indicated that Maroney will be ready to play this season, but the injury may force New England to use one of its draft picks on another running back.

Apparently unsatisfied with his role on the team and believing he can still be a featured back, Corey Dillon asked for and was released by the Pats at the beginning of the month (he remains unemployed). That move seemed a clear indication that New England was ready to make Maroney its featured back. But if he can’t carry the ball 20 times a game, New England will have to explore its options.

Kevin Faulk was highly effective over the final weeks of the season; Heath Evans is a solid blocker and showed the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. But free-agent Patrick Pass, who spent most of last season on the shelf, has not been re-signed.

Though it’s unlikely New England would spend one of its two first-round picks on a back when the draft gets under way one month from today, there will be players available and the Patriots haven’t been afraid to trade picks to move up to get the man they want. They have 10 picks in the draft, although the four compensatory picks they received on Monday cannot be traded.

One intriguing player is Rutgers’ Brian Leonard. Leonard, 6-foot-1, 238 pounds, was the Scarlet Knights’ top back his freshman and sophomore seasons but switched to fullback his junior year, when Ray Rice came to campus. But Leonard still got his touches — he had at least one reception in each of his 47 games, a Big East record, and had 38 catches and 93 carries last year. He’s also durable, having missed just one game in his career.

Arizona back Chris Henry will reportedly work out for the Patriots. Henry, 6-feet, 228 pounds, doesn’t have a lot of carries — and therefore hasn’t taken a lot of pounding — having played very little over his first three seasons with the Wildcats since he was behind Gilbert Harris and current NFLer Mike Bell.

And former Hope and UConn player Deon Anderson could garner a late-round look. Anderson, who has had some off-the-field issues and did not play in 2005, was voted the Huskies’ MVP last season due to his blocking skills. He is also an elite special-teams player, a plus in the Patriots’ eyes.

•There was more surgery news yesterday, as it was discovered that franchise receptions leader Troy Brown has undergone knee surgery. First mentioned on WEEI radio and confirmed by the Globe, there were no details on the extent of Brown’s procedure.

Beloved within the New England organization and by fans, Brown has not said whether he will return for a 15th season, though the surgery and his recovery are hampering talks.

•With the Patriots receiving four compensatory draft picks on Monday, tying Baltimore for most in the league, here’s what they currently have for picks: the 24th (from Seattle from the Deion Branch trade) and 28th picks in Round One; the 28th pick in Round Three; the 28th pick of Round Four; the 34th pick in Round Five (compensatory); the 6th, 28th, 34th (compensatory) and 35th (compensatory) picks of Round Six, and the 37th pick in Round Seven (compensatory).

There is no second-round pick due to the trade with Miami for Wes Welker. The Pats also gave the Dolphins their seventh-round pick. The original fifth-round selection went to the Raiders in the failed Doug Gabriel experiment, and the sixth pick in the sixth round comes from Arizona as a condition of their trade for offensive lineman Brandon Gorin.

smanza@projo.com