FOXBORO — No team takes big bodies and turns them into NFL-ready offensive linemen like the Patriots.

Over the years, New England has taken former college wrestlers, linemen from out of the way colleges like Southeast Missouri State and players who didn’t take up the game until high school and molded them into one of the most consistent offensive lines in the league.

The current group was honored on Tuesday with the presentation of the Madden Protectors Award, an award that “recognizes the accomplishments of the highest performing offensive line unit and their best-in-class ability to provide consistent, powerful protection,” according to the press release. The Patriots were selected based on a combination of analysis by John Madden and fan voting.

A big part of that success is tackle Sebastian Vollmer. Entering his third season, the native German is one of those off-the-radar guys who’ve made it big under the tutelage of offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. Vollmer didn’t start playing football until he was 14, played tight end for a good portion of his college career and he wasn’t invited to the combine.

But after the Patriots took him in the second round of the 2009 draft, he’s become one of the best young tackles in the league. After a rookie year where he spent part of the season filling in at left tackle for an injured Matt Light, last season he started all 16 games at right tackle and was named to the Associated Press All-Pro Second Team as well as USA Today’s All-Joe team.

This season, while the focus has been on left guard Logan Mankins and his contract situation and the emergence of rookie left tackle Nate Solder and how that all affects Light, the 6-foot-8, 315-pound Vollmer has spent the better part of training camp crushing opposing defensive linemen at the right tackle spot.

But when you ask him for a self-assessment, he defers to coach Bill Belichick.

“Obviously, it’s a long road,” Vollmer said. “We just started, and I’m trying to get better. Any evaluation, Bill has to make that.”

Vollmer has had an interesting couple of seasons. After a stellar rookie year, he appeared to take a step back in 2010 in the eyes of some, despite the fact that he came away with a second-team All-Pro mention.

Part of that could be because he spent all of last season at right tackle as opposed to spending the bulk of his rookie season on the left side, according to Sam Monson, senior analyst for Pro Football Focus.

“Vollmer’s interesting,” Monson wrote in an e-mail to WEEI.com. “He was extremely good as a rookie, and not so much as a sophomore. It’s tempting to jump to the conclusion of saying he’s much better suited to the left side than the right (which as it happens I think he is), but he did well as a rookie on the right side too, with two of his five games there perfect pass protection games.  In total, as a rookie, he gave up just a single sack and single additional hit as well as 11 more total pressures.

“Last year, he struggled much more, though he did end the season with five out of six good games — three of the six perfect pass protection games. He still allowed just a single sack, but allowed five more hits, and 31 more pressures. His toughest game last year by a distance was against Pittsburgh where Lamarr Woodley beat him for a hit and four more pressures over the game, but he was perfect in pass protection in the playoff game against the Jets, surrendering zero pressure.”

With the return of Mankins at left guard and Light at left tackle, the Patriots were able to bring back four of the five offensive linemen they have rolled out there for most of the last six seasons. (Dan Connolly, who saw some action at left guard last season with Mankins out and later when right guard Stephen Neal got hurt, will presumably take over at the right guard spot going forward.)

As for Vollmer's thoughts on Solder?

“He’s doing a great job — learning, working hard and doing what he’s supposed to do,” shrugs Vollmer.

While it figures to be a matter of time before Solder takes over at left tackle for Light permanently, the continuity that the Patriots have been able to establish the last few seasons up front can be a big plus for an offensive line.

“Personally, it’s nice when you get your friends back. All of these guys have been doing this for a long time,” Vollmer said. “It’s always good to have these guys back. Definitely.

“I think it’s good. I think we’re a tight group. Obviously working out together, hanging out together. We’re good friends.”

And, of course, there’s the Scarnecchia influence. Vollmer credits the offensive line coach as “one of the best coaches” in the game. Since joining the Patriots in 1982, Scarnecchia has spent all but two seasons (1989-90) in Foxboro, and has been New England’s offensive line coach since 1999.

“Obviously, he’s been doing it for a long time, and in my opinion, he’s one of the best coaches there is,” Vollmer said. “We’re glad to have him and we take everything he says ... we do what he says and get better.”