FOXBORO — With their offense looking very strong, especially after yesterday’s addition of five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Randy Moss, the New England Patriots continued to look for defenders in Day Two of the NFL Draft to help out a defense that allowed 4,710 yards last year and surrendered an average of five yards per play.

So with their fourth-round pick (127th overall), the Patriots drafted the University of Miami’s team defensive player of the year (2006), 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive tackle Kareem Brown.

“It’s really exciting,” Brown said. “This is my dream. I’ve dreamt about this since I was a little kid. New England — the organization speaks for itself, with the winning tradition and everything. It’s really exciting. I want to come and contribute.”

Brown will bring added depth to the Patriots’ projected starting defensive line of Ty Warren, Richard Seymour, and former Miami teammate Vince Wilfork. He will compete for playing time with them, along with defensive linemen Mike Wright, Jarvis Green, Marquis Hill and Kevin Smith.

Brown said that he learned a lot from Wilfork when the two were teammates at Miami and was looking forward to learning more with New England.

“You couldn’t help but learn from someone of his ability,” Brown said.

Brown brings a lot of versatility to the Patriots’ roster. He says he can play defensive tackle, nose tackle and defensive end, and is comfortable playing in any defensive set.

“I’ll play whatever they ask me to play,” Brown said.

Despite starting only one full year at Miami, the 2006 second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection was impressive last season. He registered 11.5 sacks with 16 pressures. Three of those pressures resulted in interceptions, and his 11.5 sacks were the second-most by a Hurricane defensive tackle, surpassing Russell Maryland (10.5, 1990) and Warren Sapp (10.5, 1994), who both have had successful NFL careers.

His total of 20.5 sacks for his collegiate career also ranked second among Miami defensive tackles (11th overall) on the school’s all-time record charts, but some NFL experts, he said, called him an underachiever.

“I felt like everyone, even Mel Kiper, calls me an underachiever, but I had eleven and a half sacks this season,” Brown said. “I think that everyone knows my ability, and they really expected for me to take off from the first game of the season. I was playing okay, but I wasn’t playing to my potential.”

He plans on fulfilling his potential for New England, but his stock fell after he ran a 5.39 40-yard dash at the campus agility tests in front of NFL scouts.

At Norland High School, in Miami, Brown was rated as the 77th-best prospect overall by Super Prep and rated as the best defensive lineman in the state by Florida Prep Football.

Brown enrolled at the University of Miami in 2002, choosing the school over offers from Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan State and Louisiana State. He played as a 255-pound defensive tackle on the scout team that year, joining the tackle rotation in 2003.

Playing as part of a rotating unit with Orien Harris, Santonio Thomas and Baraka Atkins in 2004, Brown earned a starting assignment at right tackle and produced 28 tackles with a sack and six stops for losses.

In 2005, Brown split time at both tackle positions and came up with 46 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Brown recorded a career-high 60 tackles last season and ranked 14th in the nation and 2nd in the ACC with a career-high 11 sacks. He also had 12.5 stops for losses and 16 pressures.

rlee@projo.com