No group of first-year players since the Patriots’ 2003 rookie class has delivered more of a collective jolt in their first season in the league than New England’s 2012 rookies. Of the seven picks in 2012, four of them -- defensive end Chandler Jones, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, defensive back Tavon Wilson and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard -- have all started multiple games on defense, while Nate Ebner has become a core special teamer. As a group, they’ve played a sizable role in New England’s 10-4 record, and many of them figure to be integral as the Patriots enter the postseason.

If we’re comparing the 2003, 2010 and 2012 draft classes -- overall, the three best of Bill Belichick’s time with the Patriots, it’s reasonable to state that while the 2010 group will likely have the greatest long-term impact on the franchise (Devin McCourty, Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez and Zoltan Mesko all stand poised for lengthy NFL careers), they didn’t have the same sort of impact in their rookie year as the 2003 class.

Nine years later, it’s easy to forget, but that year, first-rounder Ty Warren, second-rounders Eugene Wilson and Bethel Johnson, fourth-rounder Asante Samuel and fifth-rounder Dan Koppen all played serious minutes in their first year in the league, and set the gold standard when it comes to impactful rookie classes under Belichick.

Here’s a quick look at what some members of the 2003 class did in their first year in the league.

•Defensive lineman Ty Warren: 16 games played, four starts, 33 tackles (19 solo), one sack and two passes defensed.

•Defensive back Eugene Wilson: 16 games played, 15 starts, 61 tackles (47 solo), five passes defensed, four interceptions.

•Wide receiver/kick returner Bethel Johnson: 15 games played, 5 starts, 16 catches, 209 yards, two TDs, 30 kick returns for 847 yards (28.2 average), one TD.

•Cornerback Asante Samuel: 16 games played, 1 start, 34 tackles (30 solo), five passes defensed, two interceptions.

•Center Dan Koppen: 16 games played, 15 starts.

Admittedly, not all of them were able to sustain that level of play. (In particular, Wilson and Johnson quickly dropped off.) But as rookies, they played a major role on a team that won Super Bowl XXXVIII. While no one is sure how this year’s group will evolve as players -- and whether or not they’ll be able to have the same long-term impact that the 2010 group will have -- here’s a look at this year’s class, as well as an individual breakdown of what they’ve been able to accomplish in their first year in the league.

Chandler Jones: The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defensive end out of Syracuse was a consistent presence off the edge over the first half of the season, but appeared to slow down midway through November. He was held to just one tackle in a Nov. 11 win over the Bills, and went down with an ankle injury in a Nov. 18 victory over the Colts. As a result, Jones -- who was clearly part of the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year race to that point -- has dropped off a bit. Through 12 games (11 starts), he has 42 tackles (21 solo), to go along with nine quarterback hits and six sacks (both of which are second-best on the team). While he’s slowed a bit, he has to be considered one of the better young edge rushers in the league, and will be counted on as a major contributor going forward into the postseason.

Dont’a Hightower: The 6-foot-2, 270-pound linebacker has made a major impact in his first year in the league, and when he’s been healthy, he’s become one of New England’s more consistent defenders. The Alabama product missed two plus-games because of a hamstring injury he suffered in a Sept. 30 win over the Bills, but through 12 games (11 starts), he’s fourth on the team in tackles with 62 (42 solo) and also has three sacks, seven quarterback hits and a pair of passes defensed. Like Jones, he’ll be counted on as a major contributor going forward into the postseason.

Tavon Wilson: The 6-foot, 210-pounder out of Illinois started strong, with four interceptions in his first 10 games, as well as a 10-tackle outing in an October win over the Broncos. But he’s been one of a few defensive backs who’s been affected by the addition of Aqib Talib -- the rookie out of Illinois has seen a drop in playing time, as the acquisition of Talib meant more time at safety for Devin McCourty, and less time on the field for safeties like Wilson and Pat Chung. (According to snap counts provided by Pro Football Focus, Wilson has played just 56 total snaps since the bye week after playing every defensive snap in the two games before that.) To this point in the season, he’s played in 14 games with four starts, and has 41 tackles (27 solo). The best thing you can say about him to this point is that he certainly has a nose for the ball: in addition to his four picks, he has six passes defensed and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Jake Bequette: Bequette has taken a redshirt year, as the 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end out of Arkansas has been inactive for most of the season. The third-rounder has played in three games this season (according to PFF, he’s been on the field for 29 defensive snaps) and hasn’t registered any stats while a handful of veterans like Rob Ninkovich, Trevor Scott and Jermaine Cunningham (as well as other youngsters like Chandler Jones and Justin Francis) have seen time in front of him. He probably won’t be much of a factor come the postseason.

Nate Ebner: The former teenage rugby star was advertised as a special-teams demon coming out of Ohio State, and he has lived up to that rep. At 6-feet and 210 pounds, he’s played in all 14 games, and has quickly become a key component to New England’s special teams group -- he’s second on the team in special teams tackles with 15 tackles (14 solo). He’s also seen limited reps while working as a safety -- he got a season-high 15 snaps in a win over the Rams earlier this season. While he won’t likely take serious reps as a defensive back the rest of this season, he will almost certainly continue to build on his special teams work the rest of the year and into the playoffs.

Alfonzo Dennard: The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder from Nebraska, who slipped to the seventh round because of reported character concerns (he was accused of punching a police officer the week before the draft) has been a real find for the Patriots. He moved into a starting role roughly halfway through the season, and has seven passes defensed, three picks and 35 tackles (33 solo) over the first 10 games of his professional career. Look for him to have a sizable role down the stretch, as New England has utilized the Talib/Dennard combination at corner more often than not over the last month.

Jeremy Ebert: The wide receiver, a seventh-round pick from Northwestern -- the only offensive player chosen in the draft by the Patriots -- was one of the final cuts heading into the regular season. After a short stint with the Eagles, he was reacquired by New England, and is now on the Patriots’ practice squad.