FOXBORO — For someone who speaks English as a second language, Sebastian Vollmer has no problems expressing how great it is to have his rookie season in the rear-view mirror.

“It’s nice,” the 6-foot-8, 315-pound tackle said with a smile.

Last year marked a shockingly smooth transition to the world of professional football for the native of Germany, who started the 2009 calendar year as a collegian who wasn’t invited to the combine but ended it as one of the most dominant young offensive linemen in the league.

But then again, when it comes to his football career, it’s important to remember that Vollmer has had little trouble ascending to the next level. He started playing the game only at age 14, quickly earned a scholarship to an American Division 1 university three years later, became a full-time starter as a junior and senior and then was taken in the second round (58th overall) of the 2009 draft by the Patriots.

After a solid rookie camp, he ended up second on the depth chart at tackle, but was pressed into service midway through his first year when left tackle Matt Light went down with a knee injury in an October loss to Denver. He drew his first start the following week against Tennessee, and started the next two games at left tackle, playing well in two victories.

But Vollmer was introduced on the national stage in a November loss to Indianapolis, where he (with some assistance from left guard Logan Mankins) managed to neutralize Dwight Freeney, holding him sackless for the first time all season.

At the end of the season, a look at the numbers revealed that, per usual, the next step was no big deal for Vollmer — according to the football research site Pro Football Focus, during his eight regular season starts, Vollmer only allowed a single sack and nine quarterback pressures. In the end, he made five starts at left tackle and three at right tackle, and ended up being a key part of a line that allowed the fewest sacks of Tom Brady’s career.

“I’m thankful I got game experience, because I know there are certain situations you can’t experience in anything but the game,” he said. “I think that’s really going to benefit me down the road.

“But I’m still here to learn — that’s what training camp is for. I’m just going to keep working.”

When Vollmer was lined up at left tackle, he was stationed next to Pro Bowl left guard Logan Mankins, and against Freeney, Mankins was a big part of making sure the Indianapolis pass rusher stayed out of the New England backfield that night. While he was complimentary of Mankins’ tutelage and assistance, Vollmer said it was the entire line of veterans who played a role in his professional development.

“I think the whole o-line, there were a lot of veterans, but just having guys like him around who can help me out,” Vollmer said. “It wasn’t just him. I talk to Matt, I talk to Nick [Kaczur], whoever it might be, to give me pointers. ‘You might want to do this better.’ Playing against a certain guy, they might give me some tips. Really, just having veterans around in general has been good.”

Vollmer was part of an impressive 2009 rookie class, a group that includes Julian Edelman, Pat Chung and Darius Butler. It’s a group that performed well last year as rookies when called upon, but a group that will undoubtedly have more on its collective plate this season.

“I think in general our rookie class from last year, those guys have made a big jump,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said when asked about last year’s rookies. “Guys that have played like Edelman and [Sebastian] Vollmer and guys that didn’t play as much like [Rich] Ohrnberger and [George] Bussey and [Brandon] Tate and [Tyrone] McKenzie and guys like that.

“I think they fall into some different categories, but whether they actually played a lot last year or they didn’t play a lot, I think that group has made a big jump both in their mental understanding, their offseason training, and where they are physically, their techniques and some of the finer points and their skills at their positions.”

As for Vollmer, he spent most of the offseason in New England, working on what he called “both the physical and mental parts of the game.” His offseason commitment earned him a reserved, front-row parking spot. When it comes to overall improvement in his second season in the NFL, he said it’s not about one thing, but his entire game.

“I think there are a lot of things — I don’t think I can pinpoint one thing. I think I just need to step up my overall game and get better in everything, really,” he said. “I’m a competitive guy. I just want to get better every day and try and do what I’m asked to do and do it to the best of my ability.”