How valuable was Nate Ebner when he was a collegian at Ohio State? Paul Haynes is going to bottom-line it for you, Patriots fans.

“The guys we protected during the week were the quarterback and Nate Ebner,” said Haynes, who was the defensive coordinator and coached the defensive backs when the former rugby star was at Ohio State. “We knew that we couldn’t get Nate hurt during the week, because if we did, we’d be in trouble in Saturday.

“It sounds crazy, but when it came to practice, he didn’t need to do a lot. We needed him on Saturday.”

Add another chapter to the burgeoning legend of Nate Ebner, sixth-round pick of the Patriots last weekend and YouTube star. Ebner made his bones as an indispensable special teamer with the Buckeyes the last two years, so much so that Haynes compared him to another overachiever who made an NFL career out of special teams.

“I see him as a Bill Bates-type of player,” Haynes said of Ebner. “A undersized guy who made a name for himself as a pure special teamer. That’s what Nate is.

“He’s an unbelievable worker. His work ethic is out of this world. He has a passion to be great, and once he gets his mind stuck on doing something, he’ll do it.”

Bates, an undrafted free agent, played 15 seasons for the Cowboys and was a part of three Super Bowl teams and an All-Pro. It goes without saying that if Ebner can reach those same lofty heights, Bill Belichick and the Patriots would be happy.

“Nate is a guy that is a big, fast safety that has been very productive in the kicking game,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said shortly after the pick was made. “[He’s a] relatively inexperienced player that we think has a lot of good football in front of him.

“Of course, we have some good connections at Ohio State, people that have worked with him that obviously that played a part in it, too, just in terms of his overall development and where we think he can be.”

Ebner began his athletic career as one of the best teenage rugby players in the country. When he enrolled at Ohio State, he joined the rugby team. Along the way, Haynes kept hearing about Ebner and how he might fit in with the football team.

“I coached with his high school coach, and he told me about him, and how he always tried to get him to play,” Haynes said. “Then, [former track and field star] Butch Reynolds started working with him, and Butch came to me and said, ‘This guy's work ethic is just through the roof, and he wants to play.’ I knew about him already and was ready to coach him, but when he started it just exceeded everything I knew. He was great.”

Ebner walked on at Ohio State and eventually earned a scholarship. His gonzo style and devil-may-care approach -- Pro Football Weekly described him as a player who “races down the field like a bat out of hell and hunts returners like a heat-seeking missile” -- earned him the respect and admiration of his teammates.

“He was the most valuable guy we had on the team, besides the quarterback, because he made so many plays for us on special teams that we just came to bank on the fact that he was going to make the play every single time,” Haynes said of the 6-foot, 205-pounder. “We knew that if he was out there on the coverage team, he would make the play. He would make the block to get the guy free. Whatever it took.

“The only reason Nate didn’t play more safety was a little lack of overall football knowledge. But when it comes to playing the game, I’d trust him out there with my life because I know he makes my team better,” Haynes added. “No one was more dedicated. Trust was never an issue -- he was going to get the job done.”

Ebner had 11 tackles as a senior, but he really popped up on radar screens throughout the league with an impressive pro day, when he ran a 4.55 40-yard dash, finished with 23 reps on the bench press, showed off a 39-inch vertical and impressed everyone with a 6.59 three-cone time.

Haynes, who left Ohio State at the end of last season and now is the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Arkansas, isn’t sure how the Patriots connected with Ebner, but he wouldn’t be shocked if it was through former Pats linebacker Mike Vrabel, currently a coach on the Buckeyes staff.

“You guys know how all about business Mike Vrabel is -- he spent so much time in the league,” Haynes said. “I don’t know if the Patriots called Mike to check on Ebner, but I know that he put his stamp of approval on Nate. Mike loves him.”

And as far as how he’ll fit in in New England, Haynes has no doubt that the Patriots have a unique player on their hands.

“He’ll fit in like crazy in New England, because I know they’re all about work and hard work and walking the straight and narrow -- the type of stuff where you don’t put up with any of the B.S.,” Haynes said. “You don’t need to worry about that with him. He’ll be the first guy in the facility and the last guy out. He will put his all into it.”