INDIANAPOLIS -- The Steelers and the Ravens are two of the top organizations when it comes to building a team through the draft. But the Patriots and Giants proved this year that you don't need to rely on drafted talent.

According to draftmetrics.com, the Patriots and Giants ranked in the bottom 13 of the NFL in starts by their own draft picks in the 2011 season. The Giants were 20th with 197 starts by their own draftees, and the Patriots were 26th with 181.

That's a big difference from the top two teams in the AFC North. The Steelers were second with 264, and the Ravens were tied for eighth with 220.

But the Patriots and the Giants are the exceptions to the rule that the league's best teams are the best ones at drafting. The top 10 teams in starts by homegrown draft choices went 89-71 last season. The middle 12 teams, which includes the last-place Browns (4-12), went 95-97. The bottom 10 teams, which includes the Bengals (9-7), went 72-88.

The Patriots have gone to the extreme with 18 players on the 53-man roster who were originally undrafted, including seven starters (center Dan Connolly, running backs Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, cornerback Kyle Arrington, safety James Ihedigbo, right guard Brian Waters and wide receiver Wes Welker).

“I tell the team that I don’t care how you got here, it’s what you do when you get here," Belichick told reporters at the Super Bowl. "It doesn’t matter if you were drafted in the second round, the fifth round, or not drafted at all."

2011 Starts by own draft picks

1. Panthers 266
2. Steelers 264
8. Ravens 220
15. Browns 207
20. Giants 197
25. Bengals 182
26. Patriots 181