BELICHICK

The NFL Draft, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is the 73rd for the league, and the ninth for Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli with the New England Patriots. Since taking over the team in 2000, the Patriots have selected 70 players in the draft, for every position except punter.

Yet there are some spots on the field that the duo clearly places a higher importance on than others, and chooses accordingly. Over the next few days, we’ll continue to look at New England’s history of picks under Belichick and Pioli, with an emphasis on where they rank in positional importance, and how they’ve worked out.

Today we turn to the defense, with a little special teams thrown in.

•DEFENSIVE LINE

(Player, year drafted, round chosen, overall selection)

Jeff Marriott, 2000, 5th, 161; David Nugent, 2000, 6th, 201; Richard Seymour, 2001, 1st, 6; Jarvis Green, 2002, 4th, 126; Ty Warren, 2003, 1st, 13; Dan Klecko, 2003, 4th, 117; Ethan Kelley, 2003, 7th, 243; Vince Wilfork, 2004, 1st, 21; Marquise Hill, 2004, 2nd, 63; Le Kevin Smith, 2006, 6th, 206; Kareem Brown, 2007, 4th, 127

Still on the roster: Seymour, Green, Warren, Wilfork, Smith

Priority: High-to-medium

While the defensive line remains a key unit for the Patriots — Belichick and Pioli like to build from the trenches out — drafting players at the position isn’t as big of a focus for the team since Seymour, Green, Warren and Wilfork have developed so well. Add in the fact that Green, at 29, is the “old man” of the group and it takes some of the pressure off to keep looking for a key component for the line. Seymour was the first big piece of the puzzle, and has five career Pro Bowl nods. His knee, which kept him off the field for the first seven games of last season, has allowed him to participate in the off-season training program, which he wasn’t able to do last year. Warren should have at least one Pro Bowl pineapple in his biography by now but has been snubbed the last two years, though Wilfork earned his first for his 2007 showing. Green would be a starter with any other team, and proved as much during Seymour’s early absence.

Smith got more snaps with the defense last season after a solid training camp. The team is trying to groom him at nose tackle. Brown was inactive for the first 11 games of the season before being released and picked up by the Jets.

Marriott never made the 53-man roster, though Nugent ended up playing 15 games over two seasons as a reserve; Kelley got into one game. Klecko was a good story, but could never find his niche on the field — he was tried at nose tackle, linebacker, and was lost for the year with a knee injury after playing fullback. (Ironically, he was signed by the Eagles in March to do just that.)

Hill will always be a what-if — the second-round pick had the potential to match his massive frame, and teammates and coaches alike believe he was on the cusp of his breakout season. But he drowned last Memorial Day in a jet ski accident on New Orleans’ Lake Pontchartrain, on a break from preparing for his fourth NFL season.

•KICKERS

Owen Pochman, 2001, 7th, 216; Stephen Gostkowski, 2006, 4th, 118.

Still on the roster: Gostkowski.

Priority: Low.

Adam Vinatieri was already on the roster when Belichick and Pioli took over, but they took a flier on Pochman nonetheless. Though he had a good showing in training camp as a rookie, he was among the final cuts before the regular season. Pochman did make appearances with the Giants and 49ers.

Gostkowski was a need. Vinatieri left for Indianapolis after the 2005 season, and the Memphis athlete — he was a closer on the Tigers’ baseball team — had the type of makeup that appealed to New England brass.

Veteran Martin Gramatica was brought in during training camp to push the rookie, and Gostkowski responded to the pressure.

smanza@projo.com