Patriots' Marte Mapu has finally reached the moment he has worked so hard for
FOXBOROUGH, MA – For Marte Mapu, this has been what he has been working towards for so long. The New England Patriots rookie will take the field for the first time on Sunday, making his NFL debut. And he can hardly wait. "It's really what you've been waiting for," Mapu said. "There's a lot of […]
FOXBOROUGH, MA – For Marte Mapu, this has been what he has been working towards for so long.
The New England Patriots rookie will take the field for the first time on Sunday, making his NFL debut. And he can hardly wait.
"It's really what you've been waiting for," Mapu said. "There's a lot of greatness that has been out here and I feel like I gotta do my part so that we can get what we're supposed to get."
And he clearly made an impression, earning a spot on the 53-man roster. Now the next step is to play in an NFL game.
"There's a lot of different emotions that come with it," Mapu said. "But this team is great. We got a lot of great people on defense."
And along with taking the field in a Patriots jersey for the first time, he will also share the field with one of the best to ever play the game. Tom Brady returns to Gillette Stadium for a ceremony honoring all his contributions to the Patriots organization, and Mapu along with the rest of the team is using his presence as increased motivation.
The linebacker has learned about the Patriots Way throughout his time with the team, and he explained how he wants to be a part of getting the organization back on top.
"I feel like it is important just because kind of the same reason why you study history. Don't repeat the bad things and then try to repeat the good thing," Mapu said. "It just shows, what we've done before here and what the team has done before. The coaches, the coaching staff obviously, the head of the staff here, Bill – it's worked. So now it's just trusting that process and we'll get there again."
Mapu was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. A linebacker out of Sacramento State, Mapu had a dominant final season, being named first team All-America and was honored as the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. He finished the year with 76 total tackles in 13 games.
However, Mapu suffered a torn pectoral muscle in February prior to the draft and spent much of training camp in a red non-contact jersey. Yet, after months of preparation and hard work, the linebacker has overcome all the obstacles.
"I feel ready to go. I've been wanting to play," he said. "I mean this is really all I like to do. So I'm always ready to play football."
Featured Image via Sophie Weller – A to Z Sports
