Before this year’s NFL draft, the one position you figured the Patriots didn’t need to add to was tight end.

Last offseason, New England completely overhauled the position, adding veteran Alge Crumpler and rookies Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. With Crumpler’s leadership, Gronkowski’s contributions in the red zone and Hernandez’s work in the passing game, it went from a position of weakness to one of the strength for the Patriots.

But the chance to add someone like Marshall tight end Lee Smith in the fifth round proved too great for the Patriots to pass up, and they selected the 6-foot-6, 266-pounder with the 159th overall pick.

Shortly after New England selected Smith, Patriots coach Bill Belichick referred to him as an “outstanding blocker.” Phil Ratliff, Smith’s position coach at Marshall, added to that on Thursday, calling him a “throwback” who was “far and away the most respected player on the team because of how hard he practices and how hard he plays.”

Ratliff knows something about the sort of player that appeals to the Patriots -- while as a player at Marshall, he was a college teammate of eventual New England football legend Troy Brown.

“Lee is the kind of player the Patriots draft -- a quality person who takes to system and does whatever it takes to succeed,” Ratliff said. “New England is getting another leader -- he’s a natural-born leader.”

According to Ratliff, Smith flashed some versatility in his three years at Marshall. Known primarily as a blocker his first three collegiate seasons -- he had a combined 37 catches his first three years with the Thundering Herd -- he nimbly stepped into the role of pass catcher his senior season and came away with 38 receptions for 358 yards and three touchdowns as a senior, all career-bests.

“A lot of people don’t realize he had a good tight end that played in front of him — this past year was the first year he really had a chance to thrive in the passing game,” Ratliff said. “At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, so a lot of people don’t realize how good he in the passing game. When you think of Lee Smith, you think of a big, pounding blocker. That’s what he is, but he has capability in the vertical passing game. He’s got soft hands and a knack for getting open -- and he will get better.”

Smith’s college career was almost done before it got underway. Ticketed to play at Tennessee, he hit what he called a “bump in the road” when he picked up a DUI that ultimately ended up with him transferring to Marshall. In the end, Smith said the move was “the best thing that ever happened to me,” and Ratliff concurred.

“All I can tell you is this -- people can all the negative things they want about him, but Lee, when he came to us, he was a guy who was a leader,” Ratliff said. “He was a guy who got it. It was unbelievable. When he got into our system, he got structure, and just took off from there.

“What happened in the past is in the past. He’s gone beyond that. He’s the most mature guy I have ever coached. He has a family and kids -- all that stuff is in the past. It’s so irrelevant to what he is now. It really is.”

The game of professional football runs in Smith’s blood -- his father Daryle played six years in the NFL with the Cowboys, Browns and Eagles before spending another four years in the CFL. (Belichick recalled he had a chance to work with the elder Smith when he was head coach in Cleveland.)

As for his own chances of making it in the NFL, Smith has a big challenge cracking the New England roster. With three established faces at tight end in Crumpler, Hernandez and Gronkowski (as well as Carson Butler on the practice squad), the chances of seeing a lot of game reps this year at tight end would seem slim.

One way he could conceivably see some action as a rookie is on special teams, specifically as a long snapper. The Patriots went through a pair of long snappers last season, and Belichick hinted late last season about the possibility of finding some positional versatility at the spot — that is, is someone who could long snap and perhaps do something else instead of taking up a roster spot with such a specialized skill set.

Smith did not snap in a college game, but talked a little bit about the possibility in his post-draft conference call. Ratliff said that even thought he never snapped in a college game, he worked on it every day in practice, and is confident he could transition into that role in the NFL if need be. If he does, he could follow in the steps of fellow Marshall product Mike Bartrum, who spent time with the Patriots and started as a tight end but transitioned into the role of long snapper.

But wherever he ends up playing, Ratliff is confident Smith will make his mark with the Patriots one way or another.

“I will tell you one thing -- they have a very impressive tight end group,” Ratliff said of New England. “[But] there’s no challenge for him that’s too big. He won’t back down. Those guys are all really good players, but whatever is asked of Lee, he’ll roll with it. He’ll do whatever he needs to do, and take care of business. That’s just how he is.”