The New England Patriots made some significant changes to the roster this season without a doubt, but one of the more impressive comeback stories has come from a player who has been on the team for several seasons.
Kayshon Boutte has shown promise after an encouraging second season, and Stefon Diggs has looked better following an ACL tear, but neither player is who I'm talking about. Instead, it's 2023 third-round pick Marte Mapu.
Originally selected as a safety, Mapu had a productive four seasons at Sacramento State, playing nearly 1,800 snaps. The majority of his snaps during his senior year came as a slot cornerback, despite his 6-foot-3, 230-pound build. He played only 204 snaps as a rookie, splitting time between playing in the box and as a deep man.
The same was the case in his sophomore season, though in a larger role.
Despite moving around, he was unable to achieve any major success at the position, recording grades of 50.0 and 63.4 in his first two years. During the offseason, Mike Vrabel began referring to him as a linebacker rather than a safety, and eventually, the Patriots' official website began listing him as a linebacker rather than denoting him as a safety.
Marte Mapu is having his best career season after unexpectedly changing positions this offseason
Admittedly, the Sac State alum hasn't played a ton this year. Across three games, he's totaled just 32 defensive snaps, roughly ten a game. Given the addition of Robert Spillane and the return of Christian Elliss on a more expensive contract, finding an extended role as a linebacker would be difficult. 2024 PFF darling Jack Gibbens was also signed to a one-year deal, meaning Mapu had further competition.
Despite all this, Mapu has so far registered a career-best 70.1 PFF grade for the season and had a spectacular Week 2 performance against the Miami Dolphins, garnering a 92.9 grade for the game, the highest on the team that week. His interception late in the fourth quarter helped beat Tua and company for the first time.
His snap count has increased each week, and for good reason. While he is still versatile and can be used in multiple spots, the vast majority of his snaps have come as a linebacker. He has not played more than six snaps across the season in any other role, according to PFF.
Christian Elliss ranks the second-worst linebacker in the league despite his $13.5 million deal, and Jahlani Tavai has only just become eligible to return from IR (calf) for this week. Depth linebackers don't often get much applause, but Mapu's position change has offered depth to a Patriots team in desperate need of it.