The Sports Xchange

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Defensive tackle Malcom Brown already knows what the New England Patriots are all about.

And it has nothing to do with Deflategate.

During a break from offseason workouts, Brown mentioned the word “work” in 21 of his 33 responses.

“It’s a great honor to be here, just to contribute to a team that’s hard-working and just to get in the program and work hard with them,” Brown said, noting that the workmanlike approach inside Gillette Stadium was obvious to him the second he arrived in early May.

“Just right away from the get-go you see the hard work and you see everything just thrown at you, so you’ve got to grasp it and go.”

That is especially true for a first-round pick such as Brown, who is expected to fill the massive void left by Vince Wilfork’s departure.

In an ideal world, Brown will earn a starting job by September and line up next to the Patriots’ 2014 first-round pick, defensive tackle Dominique Easley.

Brown actually has plenty in common with the man he is trying to replace. Like Wilfork, he entered the NFL as a 320-plus pound prospect, a run stuffer who is more athletic than many think. He also has a wife and two children, a family man just the way Wilfork was when he landed in New England out of Miami.

In fact, the Patriots have a solid history of first-round defensive linemen who bring the maturity of a family with them to the pro game.

“We were thinking of D-linemen who have come here married with children and that’s been a pretty good history as well, with Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “So we hope Malcom continues in this tradition,”

On draft weekend, Brown proclaimed he wanted to be one of the best Patriots picks ever. But, after a few workouts with the team under the tight guidance of coach Bill Belichick, Brown is not as boastful.

“I just really want to work hard and just become the best player I can be,” Brown said. “Wherever that may lead me, that’s where it will lead, but right now I’m just trying to work hard.”

While most will be making the obvious comparisons to Wilfork and expecting Brown to help fill the loss of the man who was the centerpiece of the New England front for more than a decade, the young defender isn’t on board with such talk.

“I haven’t really thought about replacing anyone,” Brown said. “I’m just here to work. I can’t stress that enough: Just compete every day and work, because nothing is given to you.”