Of their 12 draft picks, the Patriots got nine signed relatively quickly. Those nine represent their entire Day 3 draft board, and had put pen to paper before OTAs started late last month.

That left the team’s three top 100 picks still needing to officially sign their rookie contracts. On Friday, the Patriots got one of those out of the way.

• According to multiple reports, the team officially signed linebacker Marte Mapu on Friday. Mapu was drafted in the third round, 76th overall, out of Sacramento State.

  The Patriots get Mapu on a standard four-year rookie contract. The deal will pay him up to $5.56 million over those four years, with a cap hit of $1.42 million in his rookie season in 2023.

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• The signing comes after Mapu was one of the most talked about players of the Patriots’ open OTA practices. The 23-year-old still has a long way to go in his development, and his lack of size for his position (6-foot-3, 216 pounds) won’t truly be tested until the pads come on during training camp. Still, his apparent comfort and confidence in multiple roles in the Patriots’ defense certainly stood out.

  With Mapu signed, the Patriots only remaining ‘unsigned’ rookies are first-round pick Christian Gonzalez and second-round pick Keion White. It’s not uncommon to see rookie deals still getting signed into mid-July and the weeks leading up to training camp.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].

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