FOXBORO — Not since 2003 — when Ty Warren, Asante Samuel, Eugene Wilson, Dan Koppen and Dan Klecko were rookies on a team that ended up winning Super Bowl XXXVIII — have the Patriots relied on so many first-year players as they have this season.

Currently, New England has 13 available rookies — 10 on the 53-man roster and three on the practice squad. (In addition, there are three on the reserve/injured list, one on the practice squad/injured list and three on the reserve/military list.) All 12 of the players selected by the Patriots in the 2009 draft are still with the club in some form or fashion.

It’s a staggering number of first-year players for a franchise that as little as two years ago had just five rookies on the squad at the end the season, and just one (safety Brandon Meriweather) who saw any sort of serious playing time.

While a select group of New England rookies has gone wire-to-wire in its first year in the league (offensive lineman Logan Mankins started all 16 regular-season games as a rookie in 2005 and linebacker Jerod Mayo did the same last year), this season’s crop features no such singular standout.

Instead, the group has provided depth and support at key positions across the board, as well as more than the occasional starting assignment. Left tackle Sebastian Vollmer (four starts) has stepped in to start for an injured Matt Light, while wide receiver Julian Edelman (two starts) and safety Pat Chung (one start) and wide receiver Brandon Tate (one start) also have been named as starters at various points throughout the season.

In addition, defensive lineman Myron Pryor has not started but has seen extensive action (he played in 35 of the 68 defensive snaps last week against Indianapolis), while long snapper Jake Ingram has handled all the punt and field goal chances with the rest of the special teamers.

According to Chung, the group has managed to become close during the players' journey through their first year in the NFL together.

“If Julian is out there making plays, I’m running to him. If [cornerback Darius Butler] is out there making plays, I’m running toward him,” Chung said. “We’re like a big family.”

As is the case for most rookies, the start of the season was overwhelming on many levels — Chung said the thing that really blew him away was the speed on special teams — but with more reps, things have started to slow down.

That’s not to say that any of them are exactly comfortable with the pace of the game quite yet, but they’re certainly closer to getting it than they were at the start of the season. It’s all about taking advantage of every opportunity.

“The more reps you get and the more teams you play and the more receivers you play against, you get a little more comfortable,” said Butler, who played 42 of the 68 defensive snaps last Sunday against the Colts. “Every rep helps. Every game counts. Every game helps.”

“Every play is an experience out there. Every play in practice, every time you watch film, you’re experiencing something,” said Edelman, who missed two weeks with a forearm injury but bounced back to catch the first touchdown pass of his career Sunday against Indianapolis. “And you’re recognizing things a lot faster. The game is a lot faster than it is in college. When you get that little bit of experience — which I have a very little bit of — you see things a little faster.”

Much has been made of the rookie wall, that imaginary barrier that players face in their first seasons as professionals. According to Edelman, the daily grind is maybe the most difficult part of the process.

“It’s obviously a lot longer,” Edelman said when asked about comparing the college experience and the NFL season. “I went to Kent State — we didn’t play any bowl games or anything. [This year], we had the four preseason games, and it’s emotionally and physically demanding. And mentally demanding. You just have to keep on going and grind through it.”

“You’ve got to run through the wall — that’s the mentality you have to have,” Chung said. “[When] that wall comes, I’m going to try and run through it, and keep this same ritual I’ve been keeping. Always working hard and taking care of my body. Trying to run through that wall.”