Nobody ever called Bill Belichick conventional - and he proved it again on Friday, selecting Stanford safety Jordan Richards with the 64th overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Richards, a team captain for the Cardinal last season, was projected as a late round pick, but the strong safety from Folsom, California impressed the Pats enough for them to grab him early in the draft.

As a senior, Richards was a first team All-Pac-12 player, started all 13 games and ranked third in tackles with 79 (53 solo). He shared the team lead with three interceptions, had eight pass breakups, forced three fumbles and had 2.5 tackles for loss.

Richards is the 3rd player from Stanford on the Patriots, where he joins Cameron Fleming and Tyler Gaffney.