FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Longtime New England Patriots running back Kevin Faulk announced the team's third-round draft choice of offensive lineman Joe Thuney in Chicago as part of an NFL initiative, and he took the opportunity to make a statement in the process.

Faulk wore a Tom Brady jersey under his sport coat, and then when he stepped to the microphone, he said, "The New England Patriots AND Tom Brady select..."

Faulk, who played for the Patriots from 1999 to 2011, is a close friend of Brady, who had his four-game suspension reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals on Monday.

At the end of the second day of the draft, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio was asked what he thought of Faulk's delivery -- both in appearance and how he announced the pick.

"That's why Kevin Faulk is a potential member of the Patriots Hall of Fame," he answered. "We all love Kevin Faulk ... one of the best Patriots on a multitude of levels and I'd say he certainly showed that tonight."