Well, no one can accuse Bill Belichick of being wasteful.

The Patriots coach told the media in his pre-draft press conference earlier in the week that he couldn’t recall a draft where he had a team that had such flexibility. Turns out, New England squeezed almost every ounce of what they could work with Saturday -- it started the day with four picks in the first 58 and ended it with three in the top 41. The Patriots traded early and often, working their way clean out of the first round and ending up with one of the most interesting first days of a draft in franchise history.

“We didn’t know it was going to go that way, but it worked out that way,” Belichick said of the day, which saw the Patriots take three defensive players with its first three selections and an offensive lineman with their fourth and final pick of the day. “We’ll see how the day goes [Sunday]. I wouldn’t rule out any movement [Sunday] either.

“We had an interesting day.”

It would be hard to top Saturday, just in terms of the sheer number of moves. The Patriots, who initially had the No. 23 pick, dealt that to Baltimore for No. 26 overall and a fifth-rounder (No. 126 overall). New England then turned around and traded those selections to Green Bay in exchange for the 41st, 73rd and 83rd overall picks.

The Patriots then took a break and drafted defensive back Patrick Chung out of Oregon with the No. 34 pick, obtained from Kansas City in the Matt Cassel-Mike Vrabel deal.

Then, Belichick and New England traded with Oakland to move up to No. 40 in exchange for Nos. 47, 124 and 199. That gave the Patriots the 40th and 41st picks overall, and they used those on a pair of New England-based collegians, defensive lineman Ron Brace from Boston College (No. 40) and Connecticut defensive back Darius Butler (No. 41). The Patriots wrapped up the day by taking massive University of Houston offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer with the No. 58 pick overall.

Whew.

“All those guys are mature guys. [They’re] guys that have had full good careers, played in all-star games [and] have had a good track record all the way through their college careers,” Belichick said. “So we are looking forward to getting them on the field and letting them compete for the opportunities that we have on our team.”

Chung is a defensive back at Oregon who is a safety in name only. Playing a “rover” position, he became a defensive leader for the Ducks, and finished his career at Oregon the fourth-best tackler of all-time (384 -- tops among non-linebackers). A 5-foot-11, 205-pounder, he’s known as a hitter in the same mold as Rodney Harrison.

“He is very physical. I love that in a guy,” Chung said when asked about Harrison. “He’s very intense, passionate about the game. He’s a leader. He makes plays. I mean, what more can you ask for?”

According to Belichick, Chung’s versatility was a big plus.

“He played close to the line of scrimmage; there are times that he covered tight ends from off,” Belichick said. “He would go up and press them on the line of scrimmage and cover them in some of their nickel defenses, play in the deep part of the field, deep middle, deep half, support the run both in the free safety position and strong safety position. He played some, like I said, rover nickel back position.

“You certainly had the opportunity to see him do a lot of things in Oregon.”

Then came the two New England players, Brace and Butler. The 6-foot, 330-pound Brace is a run-stuffer, someone in the mold of a Vince Wilfork who can plug up the line in either a 4-3 as a defensive tackle or in a 3-4 as a nose tackle. Butler is a cornerback, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound burner out of UConn who garnered some attention around these parts when it was learned that Belichick himself made the pilgrimage to Storrs to see his Pro Day workout.

“I actually talked to [NFL Network analyst] Mike Mayock before I worked out and he told me that Coach Belichick doesn’t usually come to Pro Days,” said Butler, who compared his skill set to former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel.

“I don’t know if it was the geographical convenience or that he was interested in some players there, but it worked out, and I guess that he was interested enough to take me.”

“[There are] a couple local connections. It’s coincidental, but it’s always good to build your roster with guys from BC, UConn and the New England area,” Belichick said. “It’s a little added cherry on the top.”

New England finished the day by taking massive offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer out of the University of Houston with the 58th pick overall. A 6-foot-8, 315-pound native of Germany nicknamed “Sea Bass,” he didn’t play football at all until he reached the United States a few years ago. Vollmer is an intriguing selection who could challenge either one of the incumbent tackles once training camp begins in July.

“I think he’s certainly a developing player. I don’t think he’s had quite the football experience that quite the other football players have had, but he’s playing,” Belichick said. “It’s not like Stephen Neal, or even a guy like [Matt] Cassel, who didn’t really play in college. Is he as polished as some players at that position? Probably not.

“But he has a lot of good tools to work with. He’s a tough kid, very smart, well-conditioned athlete. He’s a big man. Like everybody, he has a lot of work to do. But I think he’ll work hard and try to do what we ask him to do. So I think he has a chance.”

Christopher Price covers the Patriots for WEEI.com.