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Friday, July 25, 2008 |
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Patriots select Tennessee LB in first round |
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Saturday, 26 April 2008 |
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By MICHAEL PARENTE Sports writer
By MICHAEL PARENTE
Sports Writer
FOXBORO — Even with less time to work the phones, the Patriots clearly haven’t lost the ability to pull off a draft-day coup.
To no one’s surprise, New England traded the No. 7 pick of the 2008 NFL draft to New Orleans on Saturday in exchange for the 10th pick, which they used to select Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo — a 6-foot-1, 242-pound junior who led the Volunteers with 140 tackles last season.
The Patriots are no stranger to swapping picks — they’ve made eight such trades in the past three years, not including their most recent deal with New Orleans — but they had to work much faster Saturday since the NFL modified its draft format. The time limit to make first-round picks was shortened from 15 minutes to 10, forcing the Patriots to start their groundwork on Friday night.
“Everyone OK with the 10-minute format?” quipped head coach Bill Belichick following Saturday’s first-round pick. “Things did go a little quicker than they had in the past, which is fine. I’m glad we got that done. We felt like that trade was one that would help our football team. I feel good about that.”
The Patriots helped themselves on two fronts, getting the player they wanted with the No. 10 pick — sticking to their philosophy of value — and acquiring an additional draft choice in the third round from New Orleans (No. 78 overall).
Targeting a linebacker to add youth to their aging defense, the Patriots had their sights set on Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston, but the New York Jets drafted him with the sixth overall pick. Knowing the Saints wanted defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (That was no secret,” Belichick said) and realizing they could still get Mayo with the No. 10 pick, the Patriots worked out a deal that satisfied both parties.
Three defensive linemen were drafted within the first six picks, so the Saints knew they had to hurry to get their man. In a deal reminiscent of the one the Patriots made five years ago when they moved up one spot to get Ty Warren before the market on defensive linemen dried up, the Saints willingly dealt two picks to New England for Ellis. New Orleans now has a quality lineman to boost its porous defense and the Patriots have a linebacker who could potentially replace Junior Seau as the team’s preeminent run-stopper.
“I can’t help but to be good as long as I listen,” said Mayo, who held a small cookout with 15 friends and family members at his home in Hampton, Va., on Saturday while doing yard work. “I’m going to be like a sponge and take in as much information as possible.”
Mayo has the tools to make an immediate impact in 2008. The 22-year-old linebacker played all three defensive positions at Tennessee (weak side, strong side and middle) and was a consensus All-Southeastern Conference first-team selection as a senior. He made a seamless transition from weak side to middle linebacker last year and finished with 140 tackles, the most by a Tennessee defender since Earnest Fields registered the same total in 1990.
Where he fits in New England’s defense remains to be seen. The Patriots cut pass-rusher Rosevelt Colvin during the offseason and are not expected to re-sign Seau, who turned 39 in January. Assuming Adalius Thomas moves back to his original position at outside linebacker, Mayo could slide into the middle next to veteran Tedy Bruschi.
“I have no preference at all,” Mayo said. “Wherever coach wants me to play, I’m willing to play.”
Mayo visited New England on April 11 and made a positive impression during his private workout. Most mock drafts pegged him as a late first-round pick, but he may have had an edge on the other available linebackers based on the fact he played a small, but relevant, amount of defense in Tennessee’s alternate 3-4 package. The Patriots have been working with a 3-4 base defense since 2003.
“We’re excited to have Jerod join our organization,” Belichick said. “He’s a pretty versatile player. He did a lot of things at Tennessee – played inside, played outside, played in their sub defense, played in the kicking game. He’s a smart kid, and he runs well – (a) pretty physical player. I think he’ll be a good addition to our football team. Where exactly that fits, we’ll just have to wait and see how that goes with all the other players we have.”
The Patriots also judged Mayo based on his performance in the competitive SEC; six players from the conference were drafted in Saturday’s opening round, including four in the top 10.
“It’s pretty much a minor league for the NFL,” Mayo said.
The only concern – albeit a minor one – is Mayo’s health. He injured both knees at Tennessee and finally had arthroscopic surgery on the left one following the Outback Bowl in January. Belichick quickly dismissed the idea that Mayo’s surgically-repaired knee will be a problem when he reports to rookie mini-camp next month.
“Our doctors feel fine about him,” Belichick said. “I wish my good knees were as good as his bad ones.”
The highlights flashing across the TV screens Saturday at Gillette Stadium showed off Mayo’s impressive play-making ability, while his easy-going personality came through later in the afternoon during a conference call with the local media.
Toward the end of his brief interview session, Mayo abruptly switched roles and began quizzing the reporters on the other end of the phone.
“Let me ask y’all a question,” Mayo said. “What headlines am I going to get about the Mayo name? ‘Hold the Mayo’ is always going to be No. 1, but that’s being played out.”
As long as he lives up to expectations, New England fans will have plenty of nicknames for the Patriots’ newest first-round pick. Once again, Belichick worked the phones to fill a specific need, and also came away with another coveted draft pick that could play a factor during the later rounds on Sunday.
“The Patriots pretty much have their team set in stone, but I just want to make a contribution any way I can,” Mayo said. “When people think of making a contribution, they think of winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year (award). That’s a goal of mine, but I could also make contributions on special teams – that’s 1/3 of the game.
“I’m just excited to be here. It’s like a dream come true. You don’t expect a team that wins all 16 of its games to have a first-round pick. I’m excited to be a part of the winning tradition.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 02 May 2008 )
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Copyright © 2008 Woonsocket Call. A Rhode Island Media Group Publication. All Rights Reserved.
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