Major holes get plugged

Patriots fans (from left) Will Recos, Chris Snow, and Mark Antanavica watch the draft from the suites at Gillette Stadium. (Mary Schwalm/Associated Press)

The Patriots addressed their two biggest areas of need on the first day of the NFL draft, selecting linebacker Jerod Mayo with their first-round pick (No. 10 overall) and cornerback Terrence Wheatley with their second-round pick (No. 62 overall) yesterday.

With that out of the way, they can use their remaining six picks to add depth, draft for value, or stockpile picks for next season.

The draft continues today at 10 with rounds 3 through 7. The Patriots have the sixth pick in the third round (No. 69 overall), which was obtained from the Raiders last year in exchange for a third-round pick. New England has three third-rounders, owning No. 78 and No. 94 as well.

The Patriots picked up the third-round selection from the Saints, when they traded down from No. 7 to No. 10, also sending their fifth-rounder (No. 164) to New Orleans.

"I felt like that trade was one that would help our football team and I feel good about that," said coach Bill Belichick. "I'm glad we were able to get that extra pick in the third round. I think that will be helpful at some point, whether we use it to pick a player or trade up, or whatever it is. We'll see how that goes."

The Patriots' other second-day picks are a fourth-rounder (No. 129), a sixth-rounder (No. 197), and a seventh rounder (No. 238).

Positions the Patriots might target are defensive line, where nose tackle Vince Wilfork and defensive ends Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green have their contracts expire following the 2009 season; offensive line; and tight end.

There are still some well-regarded tight ends on the board, including Tennessee's Brad Cottam, Michigan State's Kellen Davis, and Texas's Jermichael Finley. Other players the Patriots could have interest in are Purdue defensive end/outside linebacker Cliff Avril, Georgia Tech defensive end/outside linebacker Darrell Robertson, Auburn defensive lineman Pat Sims, cornerbacks Charles Godfrey and Orlando Scandrick, wide receiver Mario Manningham, and running back Steve Slaton.

Speed a factor
What a difference five minutes makes.

For the first time, the NFL trimmed the time teams had to make their first-round selections from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, and at times yesterday's first round seemed like the lightning round. Even after trading down from No. 7 to No. 10, the Patriots made their selection at 4:13 p.m., just an hour and 13 minutes after the draft started.

The first round flew by in a tidy 3 hours 33 minutes, a stark contrast to last year, when the first round languished for 6 hours 8 minutes.

"Everybody OK with the 10-minute format today? It's whipping things right along," said Belichick to lead off his news conference.

Belichick told the NFL Network the Patriots' trade with the Saints would have been tough to pull off if New England hadn't laid the framework for the deal the night before.

"It had to go down pretty quick," said Belichick. "I'm glad we had done a little groundwork on it."

Colvin a Colt?
Former Patriots outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin could be headed toward a homecoming, as the Indianapolis native is being considered by the Colts. "It's an interesting name because he's local," Colts president Bill Polian told the Indianapolis Star. "Once we get through the draft, then we'll take a look at that." . . . The Jets' partisan crowd at Radio City Music Hall booed when it was announced the Patriots were on the clock, and as commissioner Roger Goodell approached the podium to announce the selection of Mayo . . . Mayo is the fourth linebacker selected by the Patriots in the first round. He joins Andy Katzenmoyer (1999), Willie McGinest (1994), and Chris Singleton (1990) . . . Mayo is the third player from the University of Tennessee drafted by New England in the first round, joining defensive back Roland James (1980) and Hall of Fame receiver Stanley Morgan (1977) . . . In a change from past years, the second day of the draft today includes the third round, in addition to rounds 4-7.

Mike Reiss of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.