FOXBORO — When it comes to the Patriots, no skill position offers more of a contrast in age than wide receiver.

On one hand, you have a collection of players who have spent a professional lifetime in the NFL: Randy Moss, David Patten and Torry Holt are all north of 30 and have spent at least 10 years in the league. (Only one other position on the Patriots — running back — has as many players who have spent 10-plus years in the league.) In addition, Wes Welker and Sam Aiken are 29.

On the other hand, the Patriots also have four receivers on the roster (Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater, Brandon Tate and Taylor Price) who are all 24 or younger. When Patten broke into the league in 1997 with the Giants, Price was 9 years old. Edelman was an underclassman in high school when Patten, Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI.

“With the young guys that we have here, it’s good for them to have veteran guys that they can learn from,” Holt said. “Guys they can see that do it consistently, day-to-day.”

It’s a collaborative relationship: Holt reached out to Edelman even before the start of this month’s OTA’s, reminding him that even in the wake of a good rookie year, teams now have a full year of tape to study him and prepare to defend him. (Holt has talked previously about serving as a mentor for New England’s younger receivers in the same way Isaac Bruce and Ricky Proehl did for him in St. Louis.)

“They’ve played in a lot of important games and had a lot of experience,” said Julian Edelman of the veterans. “They’ve played and had great numbers, so anytime you get to be around those kind of guys … you’re [learning] their techniques and you’re watching them.

“You may be a different receiver,” Edelman said, “but you can take something different from them and you can use it and bring it to your game.”

In turn, Holt says a new veteran like himself shouldn’t above asking someone like Edelman or Slater — a younger guy, but someone who has more experience in the New England system than he does — for help.

To paraphrase a well-known ex-Patriot, it doesn’t hurt to take a slice of humble pie.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Holt said. “As an older player, you can learn from the young guys too. There are certain things they do with routes and steps and tackling techniques, et cetera, as an older guy, you can learn from them too. You just have to humble yourself and take what they know and apply it to your game.

“I’ve always said — and I’ve had coaches tell me — you never got it. You never got it in this league. As long as you are working to improve as a football team and as an individual player, your chances to succeed are very high.”

When it comes to assimilating yourself into the New England passing game, Holt would be wise to listen to Edelman. Last season, the Patriots were depending on new veterans like Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis to become their No. 3 receiver, but it became clear relatively early that the converted college quarterback out of Kent State would be their best option at that spot. He finished his rookie season with 37 catches, tied for third best on the team.

Now, with a year in the system, he feels more comfortable than he did at this time last season. And with the reps he continues to get, he’s getting more confident by the day. He said Thursday he spent the offseason lifting for football instead of the combine, and this offseason, he got to break down his own game film instead of watching film of another player at the same position.

“I get to learn with reps and I get to experience it instead of seeing another guy do it,” he said. “It was very different.”

Now, Edelman is working in tandem with players he grew up watching.

“I think it’s a blast,” Edelman said. “Anytime you’re getting a chance to play with Tom Brady and Wes Welker and Randy Moss, Torry Holt, David Patten, it’s fun.”