FOXBORO — Marte Mapu’s welcome to the NFL moment came during the spring.
When Mapu, the Patriots’ third round draft pick in April, arrived to OTAs in Foxboro, Bill Belichick’s operation caught him by some surprise.
“They were just more detailed than I expected,” Mapu said. “But that I also expected, too, if that makes sense.”
Mapu has seemed to take that sudden realization to heart, because he’s making it his mission during training camp to be as prepared and ready for any role as possible.
The 23-year-old Mapu is listed as a linebacker, but even at 230 pounds, has the ability to play in the secondary. He has been an early star in training camp, taking some first-team reps at linebacker even while wearing a red non-contact jersey as he recovers from a torn pectoral muscle. He’s taken reps at third-team safety, too.
Mapu takes serious pride in that versatility. He doesn’t know where he might fit in to this Patriots defense when the lights turn on, but he wants to make sure he’s ready for any possibility.
“I try to study the whole defense and try to make myself as versatile as possible so the coaches can use me,” Mapu said.
“I feel comfortable anywhere,” he added. “The plan? I couldn’t tell you because I’m not a part of that. All I can do is control whether I’m ready or not and that’s just me studying everything.”
It also includes picking the brain of literally anyone who will listen. Mapu loves asking questions, and he’s already left an impression on several teammates, including 10th-year veteran Adrian Phillips, who’s never seen someone quite like Mapu.
“You see a lot of guys that come in that are tweeners that play linebacker and safety like that but not really excel at it,” Phillips said. “Like this guy is freakin’ smart. And what I love about him is he’s gonna ask questions and he’s gonna continue to keep asking questions until he feels like he has it down pat.
“He’s not gonna care if he’s asking 30 questions, getting on your nerves, he’s gonna make sure he’s got it right. And I love that about him. And you can tell he’s a cerebral player and that he just wants to get it right. You can tell that he loves to hit, too. So it’s gonna be fun seeing him actually get out there and makes some contact.”
It’s unclear how soon that may be. Mapu said he’s feeling good in his recovery and “there’s a little bit of ways to go,” but he can’t wait to put his lessons into action.
“It’s going to feel good,” Mapu said. “It’s going to feel good.”