FOXBORO — The Patriots chose to focus on team needs, rather than the best available player, in the final four rounds of the NFL Draft, selecting a defensive back and a linebacker, as well as a multi-positional player.

Their first pick of the fourth round, 129th overall, was Auburn University defensive back Jonathan Wilhite.

“It’s just a blessing,” Wilhite said about being drafted by the Pats. “To be a fan of the Patriots, to actually get in and see Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Rodney Harrison and all the guys I look up to, and just to get in and play and practice with these guys is just wonderful.”

In three seasons at Auburn, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback broke up 14 passes and intercepted three others. He played in 34 games at Auburn, with 23 starts, registering 101 tackles (77 solo) with a nine-yard sack and a quarterback pressure.

White is undersized, but he is strong and fast. He had the third-most reps in the bench press at the NFL Combine (20) by a cornerback, and was clocked at 4.40 in the 40-yard dash. Scouts say that Wilhite has good quickness and the smooth hip turn needed to run and break with receivers, but he has a tendency of getting flagged for pass interference.

The Patriots selected wide receiver and special-teams player Matthew Slater, out of UCLA, with their only pick of the fifth round, 153rd overall. The son of Hall of Famer Jackie Slater was not on many radar screens until a few weeks before the draft because he was mainly a special teams player for the Bruins.

“I’ve been waiting for this day, to have this opportunity, all my life,” Slater said. “Watching my dad play growing up and just developing a love for the game, I was just so, so happy and so extremely blessed to be in this situation.”

Although Slater had not visited New England, the Patriots place a lot of value on special-teams players. So Slater, who has experience at safety and receiver, might be able to find a place on the Patriots’ roster.

Slater returned three kickoffs for touchdowns last season, setting a single-season UCLA record, and was named to the first-team All-Pacific-10 conference team as the kick returner in 2007.

He averaged a school single-season record of 29.0 yards per kickoff return (ranked 1st in Pac-10, 12th in the nation) on a school-record 34 attempts.

His 986 return yards were also a UCLA single-season record.

The Patriots’ final draft pick was Bo Ruud, a 6-4, 234-pound outside linebacker out of the University of Nebraska. He was selected in the sixth round, 197th overall.

Rudd was a three-year starter for Nebraska, playing both weak and strong-side linebacker. He finished his college career with 216 tackles, which ranks 22nd on the school’s all-time list, 4.5 sacks, 25 stops for losses and 16 quarterback pressures.

Rudd caused six fumbles and recovered two others. He was chosen All-Big 12 first-team as a junior. He missed two games after suffering a knee sprain his senior year, but still finished the season with 54 tackles and was an All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Scouts say that Ruud has good straight-line quickness, but struggles when he has to change direction.

roblee@projo.com