Jerod Mayo sets the training camp stakes for recent top-100 draft picks
Tyquan Thornton and Marte Mapu come into Patriots training camp with a lot to prove. Head coach Jerod Mayo spoke about what is ahead for them on Wednesday.
Any time a team changes its coaching staff and/or front office, roles and roster spots become less secure than they might otherwise be. Players tied to the team due to an investment – like a high draft pick or big contract – may not be seen the same way by the new regime.
Two recent top-100 New England Patriots draft picks fall into that category as training camp beings this year. 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, and 2023 third-round pick Marte Mapu both face challenges for playing time (and in Thornton’s case a roster spot) this season. Prior to the first practice of the year on Wednesday, head coach Jerod Mayo spoke about both players, and what they need to do this summer.
“Tyquan is one of those guys where physically he has all the tools. Obviously, we all know that he can run. Now he just has to put it all together,” Mayo said when asked about Thornton coming off his performance this spring. “I feel very confident with our offensive coordinator and our receiver coaches to get him to the point where he can make an impact for our team.”
Thornton flashed early for the Patriots during spring practices, but wasn’t able to maintain that level of play before missing time during minicamp. That kind of absence has become all too familiar for Thornton, who has started both of his two NFL seasons on IR. At a very competitive position he needs to find a way to stay on the field, and from there use his speed and length to impress coaches.
With Thornton competing in a crowd of wide receivers battling for the final one or two spots on the roster at the position, availability will be key. His outlook for this summer starts there, then will ‘put it all together’ with a strong performance. But with no guaranteed money on his contract, he’s hardly a lock to make the roster despite his draft selection status.
Mapu’s situation is a bit more involved. He was an undersized college linebacker who the Patriots played in a number of different spots last summer as a rookie before playing him mostly at safety in a limited role last season. With Kyle Dugger re-signing and Jabrill Peppers still on the team, the snaps for box safeties are few and far between. That has left Mapu without a clear path to playing time.
Some have suggested Mapu’s role might need to be adjusted to a third-down linebacker, similar to the one he played in college. The Patriots certainly have a need there after losing Mack Wilson in free agency – and that need is only exaggerated right now with Sione Takitaki opening camp on PUP. While Mapu didn’t play much linebacker in the spring, that could change this summer according to Mayo.
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“Our defense is so versatile,” Mayo noted when asked about replacing Takitaki early in camp. “There are times where I look at a guy like Marte [Mapu]. Is Marte a safety? Is he a linebacker? 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.”
While the padded practices won’t come for a bit (Mayo said the team won’t take that step until the seventh day of practice), that’s a notable development for Mapu. If he succeeds at linebacker, it will give him a quicker path to playing time than sticking at safety.
