FOXBORO — Dominique Easley described his time away from the football field in his own, somewhat unique way.

“I feel like I’m a lost kid,” Easley said.

The rookie defensive lineman was selected by the Patriots in the first round of this year’s NFL draft out of Florida despite suffering a torn right ACL and MCL last September.

Well, that lost kid has found his way home. He was back on the field and in full contact practice yesterday for the first time since training camp began. He’d participated in a few earlier practices but was limited and hadn’t gone full contact in 11-on-11 drills. Yesterday, there were no limits, and it was a welcome change for the player who also tore his left ACL in 2011 with the Gators.

“It feels good,” he said. “You know I haven’t been out there for a long time, so it feels good.”

Easley laughed when asked if he thought that day would never come.

“Somewhat,” he said with a chuckle. “Somewhat.”

At this point, he still has a long way to go from just getting out there to making the type of impact for which he was drafted. A consensus preseason All-SEC selection in 2013, he was limited to just three games before being injured. Still, the Patriots liked him enough to nab him with their first pick and 29th overall in May.

Yesterday, he found himself going through every drill and when the teams went into 11-on-11 work, he played mainly with the second unit as a 3-4 defensive end. He didn’t make any outstanding plays, but the mere fact he was out there was a step in the right direction.

“It feels real good,” he said of going up against the offense in 11-on-11s. “I haven’t done that since last September, so it’s just a work in progress, trying to get better every day.”

When asked, he didn’t let on whether he would play in Friday night’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.

“I’m just trying to go through the (progression) and do whatever I can and what’s best for the team,” he said.

Either way, a healthy Easley is a big part of the Patriots’ plans this training camp and going forward. With players on the defensive line like Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly both north of 30, Easley’s young talent will be a key to the defense in the future. Still, Easley feels he and the rest of the rookies are just looking to make the team.

“We all have really one goal,” he said, “and that’s to get a spot on the bus.”

No longer feeling like that lost kid anymore, Easley shouldn’t have much trouble getting on the bus.