INDIANAPOLIS — The first interview of Dre’Mont Jones’ week at the NFL Combine was with the Patriots.

They could probably skip most of the introductory questions.

Jones, one of the top interior pass rushers in this year’s NFL Draft, spent the past three seasons playing at Ohio State under Greg Schiano. Jones declared early for the draft in December, and his defensive coordinator essentially did the same thing a month later, leaving Columbus to pursue NFL opportunities.

One popped up in New England.

Schiano’s exact position with the Patriots has not yet been announced, but all signs point to a role as defensive playcaller. He’s the most prominent addition to a staff that saw four coaches depart to Miami (defensive playcaller Brian Flores, wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea, cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer, and assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski) and another, defensive line coach Brendan Daly, bail for Kansas City.

Now a key member of a revamped Patriots coaching staff, Schiano spent the week in Indianapolis alongside Bill Belichick scouting prospects. His expertise will be valued throughout the scouting process. Schiano is highly familiar with offensive players from the Big 10, having prepared for them over the past three years. He also can provide unmatched insight into the prospects coming out of Ohio State, which annually cranks out a handful of pro players.

And those players know what they’ll be in for if they land with the Patriots.

“He’s just super intense,” said former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, the potential No. 1 pick in the draft. “Walkthroughs for days. You don’t have much time to relax with him. But he’s really smart and really good.”

Added Jones: “Very stern, very, I guess, military-like. When he’s talking, eyes on him at all times. Not even a blink sometimes.”

Both players expressed respect for Schiano’s vast knowledge of all parts of the defense.

“I appreciate having coach Schiano because he’s an extremely smart coach, he knows what he’s doing, he knows the ins and outs of all the positions,” Jones said. “He can break down every single position in their job without hesitation.”

And both players felt the environment Urban Meyer and Schiano created at Ohio State prepared them for what lies ahead.

“Ohio State gave me the blueprint, they gave me the cheat code of how to get here and I definitely just followed behind what they told me,” Jones said. “They taught me everything, the ins and outs of football. I was very raw coming in and they definitely molded me out to the player I am right now.”

Belichick and Schiano have long been connected. Schiano coached Belichick’s son, Steve, at Rutgers (Steve Belichick, now the Patriots safeties coach, is the only returning member of the defensive staff). Schiano then spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and surfaced at Ohio State following a brief hiatus. For a while, Schiano’s Rutgers program funneled talent to New England. The Patriots drafted Devin McCourty, Logan Ryan, and Duron Harmon and acquired many other former Scarlet Knights, including Jason McCourty and Jonathan Freeny.

Belichick hasn’t followed a similar strategy with Schiano’s players at Ohio State, however. The last Buckeye drafted by the Patriots was Nate Ebner in 2012. Since then, the Buckeyes have had 43 players drafted, but none by Belichick.

Schiano served as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator from 2016-18. The past two NFL Draft classes included nine former Buckeye defenders. This year’s group will only add to the total.