FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick continued to reinforce a defensive line weakened by the departure of Vince Wilfork on the third day of the NFL draft.

The Patriots picked 6-2, 266-pound defensive end Trey Flowers of Arkansas on Saturday in the fourth round, with the No. 101 pick overall.

“I’m happy to be part of the Patriots family,” Flowers said.

He was projected to be a third-round pick in last year’s draft but decided to stay in school.

“I didn’t want to leave Arkansas on a losing note,” said Flowers, who said he also wanted to earn a degree. “I wanted to help turn the program around.”

The Razorbacks were 3-9 in 2013 but finished 7-6 last season under Bret Bielema.

Flowers is smaller than most defensive ends but has an 84-inch wingspan. He takes pride in stopping the run but can also play linebacker.

Flowers said he takes pride in his versatility.

“I’m glad I put that on tape,” he said.

With their second fourth-round pick, the Patriots picked 6-4, 330-pound guard Tre Jackson from Florida State. A three-year starter who earned unanimous All-America honors, he was named the South Team MVP in the 2015 Senior Bowl. He was also a three-time All-ACC pick while protecting No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston.

He was teammates with Bryan Stork, who started for the Patriots at center last season.

New England’s final pick of the round was center Shaquille Mason of Georgia Tech. He is 6-1, 300.

In the fifth round, the Patriots picked center Joe Cardona from Navy, a long snapper.

With their first of two sixth-round picks, the Patriots selected linebacker Matt Wells from Mississippi State.

The Patriots selected defensive players with their first three picks on Thursday and Friday – tackle Malcolm Brown of Texas in the first (32nd overall), strong safety Jordan Richards of Stanford in the second (64th overall) and end Geneo Grissom of Oklahoma in the third (97th).