FOXBORO — Early in Bill Belichick’s tenure with the Patriots, he assembled what came to be known as the Big Three on the defensive line.
In a span of four years, he drafted Richard Seymour (2001), Ty Warren (2003) and Vince Wilfork (2004), all in the first round.
Defensively, that trio was at the heart of the team’s first Super Bowl run with three championships in four seasons. Each member of the Big Three earned at least one All-Pro selection, while Seymour (three) and Warren (two) earned multiple Super Bowl rings in that run.
A decade later, it sure looks as though Belichick is bringing back the model, or at least, trying now to replicate it.