FOXBORO — Jaylinn Hawkins wasn’t penciled into any first-team depth charts when Mike Vrabel arrived as Patriots head coach in January.

But Hawkins has experienced a breakout season in Year 2 with the Patriots thanks to a complete buy-in to Vrabel’s program.

“Just believing in Coach (Vrabel),” Hawkins told the Herald. “Seeing how he approaches the day-to-day, how he is with us. Respect, I see authenticity within him.”

Hawkins, 28, has set a career-high with four interceptions this season, playing a versatile role at safety next to rookie and fellow Cal product Craig Woodson. His 83.3 PFF grade is also a career high; he ranks first among Patriots defenders and fifth among qualified NFL safeties with that mark.

New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins (21) celebrates an interception against the New York Jets during the first half of an NFL game on Sunday, Dec. 28 in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

“He’s got some ball production this year, right? Obviously, love that, but … he’s fully bought in,” interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr said Thursday. “He’s a physical player, brings, if not the most, great energy every single day in the building, on the practice field. He’s a guy that constantly relays the message throughout the week, 100 percent bought into the message or the plan, executes the best of his ability, flies around. Great communicator, loud. I think he got his opportunity, and he’s like, I’m holding on to this.”

Selected by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Cal, Hawkins was waived midway through the 2023 season after a regime change in Atlanta. He caught on with the Chargers after being claimed by waivers, then signed as a free agent with the Patriots during the 2024 offseason.

Hawkins was expected to help on special teams, but he wound up taking on a significant role on defense after Jabrill Peppers was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and Kyle Dugger suffered an ankle injury.

Vrabel said special teams coaches Jeremy Springer and Tom Quinn spoke highly of Hawkins when he arrived as head coach.

“He kept coming up. He had to play defense, but he was on every single special team, was the wing. I think they described him as a selfless player who would do anything that he could to help the football team and was playing a lot of defense,” Vrabel said. “Seemed like a veteran guy that we would want to have around. And then in the conversations that we had with me, Eliot (Wolf), (Ryan Cowden) and Stretch (John Streicher), was excited to be able to bring him back. He’s earned everything that he has now with the production, the play time. Keeps working, it means a lot to him. He’s a fun guy to coach, and I’m happy that he’s having success.”

The team elected to re-sign Hawkins this offseason.

Peppers and Dugger were expected to reclaim their starting roles, but it didn’t work out that way after training camp and preseason. Peppers was waived before the season began and caught on with the Steelers. Dugger served as a backup through the beginning portion of the season before being dealt to the Steelers at the NFL trade deadline.

Hawkins caught on as a starter and hasn’t given up his post.

“I knew when Vrabel came here, how he talked about what he was trying to build, the first guy that came to my mind was Jaylinn Hawkins,” Springer said. “Jaylinn Hawkins would play four core, play every play, every play on special teams right now, and then play 100 percent of the snaps on defense. He’d just do it because he cares so much. That’s the kind of guy he is. He did it for me last year while he was playing safety, and he’s never missed a meeting. He never misses practice.

“There’s nothing bad I can say about the guy, there’s really not. That to me personifies this team right now – a bunch of guys who are selfless. That’s why when I was asked, when that time came around, this past offseason, I was like, ‘Coach, this is a no-brainer. You’re going to love this guy. Whether he plays special teams or defense, you’re going to want this guy on the team.’ ”

Kuhr said he didn’t know much about Hawkins when he first arrived with Vrabel in January, but the veteran safety’s exuberance was evident early.

“From day one, even OTAs, even when we were just kind of in the walk-through periods on the field, like the first OTAs, we kind of just line up against barrels, just hearing how loud he communicated and constantly repeated things and asking questions, you knew he was going to compete all year round,” Kuhr said.

Hawkins will be a free agent after the season, and he’ll likely command a much higher salary this time on the open market. He signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract in 2024 and earned a one-year, $2.2 million deal last offseason. The Ringer’s Austin Gayle currently projects him to earn between $7-$12 million per year in free agency this offseason.