Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots safety heading into his third NFL season.
Safety was a supposed strength for the New England Patriots heading into 2024. However, a mix of injuries and off-field issues decimated the group for much of the season and led to some underwhelming results.
A bounceback is therefore in order, for both the group as a whole and its individual members. Among those seemingly under some pressure is third-year man Marte Mapu.
Name: Marte Mapu
Position: Safety
Jersey number: 15
Opening day age: 25 (11/8/1999)
Measurements: 6’2 1/2”, 230 lbs, 78 3/4” wingspan, 33 1/2” arm length, 9 3/8” hand size, N/A Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2023-) | College: Sacramento State (2017-22)
A two-way player at Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, CA, Mapu served as quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. Despite his versatility and production, he was unranked as a recruit and only saw a handful of FCS school express interest in bringing him aboard. Among them was Sacramento State.
Mapu first arrived on campus in 2017 but redshirted his freshman season. The other five years of his career as a Hornet can be split into pre- and post-Covid-19.
In 2018 and 2019, he primarily played as a role player and saw action in 16 games with two starts. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic, he became a mainstay in the team’s secondary and started all 25 of his games between 2021 and 2022. His final season was his best: after registering 76 tackles, two interceptions and a blocked field goal, Mapu was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year.
While he still flew under the radar given his comparative small school status, the Patriots opted to select him 76th overall in the third round of the draft. Since then, he has seen action in 27 games and registered a pair of interceptions as well as four forced fumbles.
Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-3 and measuring 230 pounds — a 13-pound increase from before the draft — Mapu offers a combination of solid size and good baseline athleticism. While not a speedster in the backend, he has good burst out of his stance as well as quick feet to click and close or drop back from his initial alignment in zone coverage. He has also shown himself capable of taking on bigger players in man-to-man, particularly tight ends.
A versatile player capable of lining back deep and closer to the line of scrimmage either as a slot defender or to a lesser degree an extra body in the box, he has been praised for his drive and work ethic behind the scenes. Mapu also has shown himself an able communicator at the heart of the Patriots defense, as well as a player with natural instincts and a feel for playing the ball: he is competitive at the catch point and has the punch and grip strength to pry it loose.
Weaknesses: Mapu...
