Bill Belichick’s Patriots stuck with the defensive side of the ball for another impressive athlete with the third-round selection of Sacramento State linebacker/safety hybrid Marte Mapu at No. 76 overall.
Following up the picks of Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Georgia Tech EDGE Keion White, Mapu is the third straight addition to the New England defense over the first two days of the 2023 NFL Draft.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah called Mapu his “favorite player in this entire draft.”
The 6-2, 221-pound Mapu started 25 games over his final two collegiate seasons, earning Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors last fall with 76 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, a forced fumble, six passes defensed and two interceptions.
As Belichick would say, Mapu is a four-down FCS player with significant experience and contributions on special teams, including a blocked field goal in 2022.
Mapu was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and could not work out for NFL teams due to a torn pec suffered in February that required surgery. He also missed the second half of Senior Bowl week due to a groin/quad injury.
Mapu is a long, physical, versatile defender who joins a defense that has similar box safety types in Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips and Jabrill Peppers.
According to The Athletic, Mapu’s coaches at Sacramento State called him the “silent assassin” thanks to a humble personality balanced out with a violent style of play on the field.