With Day 1 of Patriots training camp kicking off Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, there are a number of players for New England to be excited for.
Head coach Jerod Mayo, though, is particualrly excited to see one defender play in pads during camp.
“Our defense is so versatile, there are times where I look at a guy like Marte (Mapu), like, is Marte a safety? Is he a linebacker? Like, we don’t know but we’ll see once we put the pads on but that’s a guy that I’m excited to see out there in pads,” Mayo told reporters, per team-provided video.
With the versatility that Mapu has shown, Mayo has said before that the Patriots will use him at different positions despite being drafted as a linebacker. That said, it is most likely the second-year player will be a safety for New England.
Mapu is coming off his rookie season in which he played 17 games and accumulated 12 solo tackles, one interception, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
The 24-year-old was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft at No. 76 overall. He played limited snaps in his rookie season as he struggled to find consistency.
With the high praise Mayo gave him to start off training camp, Mapu will be a player fans should keep their eyes on.
