He was the first big step in The Plan.

Most people think it was Tom Brady, taken in the sixth round in the 2000 NFL Draft, but the real work on rebuilding the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick began with Belichick’s initial first round pick with the team – he had no first round pick in the Brady draft because that’s what it cost the Patriots to hire him away from the Jets – and that came in the 2001 draft, No. 6 overall.

And it turned out to be a Gold Jacket choice in Richard Seymour.

“It’s hard to imagine we would have won our first three Super Bowls without him,” Brady wrote recently. “He was a cornerstone of that Patriots dynasty and deserves to be recognized for his contributions to football history.”

We say he was the beginning because it was the first major draft choice Belichick had to make, and it was a high one thanks to the Patriots’ 5-11 season in 2000, the future Hall of Fame coach’s first season in Foxborough.

And imagine, when Seymour was chosen, there were all sorts of forecasts of doom and gloom. Why? Because the fans and media all wanted the HC of the NEP to take hotshot Michigan wide receiver David Terrell, who ended up going to the Bears at No. 8. How could you take a lineman, the cries came, when the Patriots offense needed a top wideout? That was before In Bill We Trust, and Terrell was a career bust. Ironically, he was briefly a Patriot in the off-season of 2005 before ending up with the Broncos.

Seymour was the glaring example of what Belichick felt the Patriots needed: Size, strength and toughness up front. Remember, after Seymour, the next couple of years also brought Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren. Belichick during his first season felt the Patriots were way too soft and that ended with the next few drafts.

That was the plan. Brady was originally just along for the ride, and then he became the greatest conductor of them all.

It was fun covering Seymour. When he spoke, it usually was something you had to write or mark on your recorder. It’s a shame he and the Patriots had a parting of the ways when he was dealt to the Raiders in August of 2009. You could sense it was coming; Seymour was fuming after a game the year before when he had to leave the area due to a death in the family and was benched for part of the game upon his return. A parting seemed inevitable.

But that is long since in the past, as Seymour, who is also in the Patriots Hall of Fame, made sure to thank Belichick profusely.

“Coach, the lessons I’ve learned form you set me up for success,” Seymour said. “Not just in the game, but in life. Work hard. Be meticulous in your preparation. Support your teammates. Respect your opponents. And put the team first.”

Perhaps Belichick was doing him a favor in the Raider trade as Seymour grew up a Raiders fan, as he told the crowd in Canton. He said being able to spend the next four years in Oakland was “an unexpected gift.”

It’s funny, Patriot fans weren’t too thrilled about his arrival, and then eight years later felt the same way about Seymour’s departure. Seymour finished with 498 total tackles, 91 for loss, 57.5 sacks and three Super Bowl rings.

It’s good he wrapped up his 12 year career with the Raiders and didn’t have to bounce from team to team.

Seymour made the most of his opportunities, for certain. And the Patriots made the most of their first major draft pick of the Belichick/Super Bowl era.

A Gold Jacket Era. The guy fans wanted the Patriots to draft in 2001 was a bust, and they guy they did draft now has one.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.

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