FOXBOROUGH — Patriots safety/linebacker hybrid Marte Mapu is looking forward to his second NFL season, one that should have plenty of opportunity for him.
“I just want to be back to what I’m used to being,” Mapu said Tuesday. “Having a presence on the field and being dominant.”
Mapu, a 2023 third-round pick out of Sacramento State, spent most of his rookie preseason in a red non-contact jersey, as he recovered from a torn pectoral muscle suffered while working out before the draft. Despite his limited participation, Mapu generated significant buzz during training camp for his versatility and high football IQ.
But his role proved to be minimal once the season began. Mapu appeared in all 17 games but was on the field for just 17.9 percent of the defense’s snaps, logging 18 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Now, ahead of Year 2, Mapu is in line for a bigger role, following the departures of defensive backs Myles Bryant, Jalen Mills, and Adrian Phillips. Mapu wouldn’t say which position he is focusing on, safety or linebacker, but noted that he interacts with both position groups and coaches.
“Whatever position we play, we’re going to have to be versatile anyway,” he said.
According to Mapu, New England’s defense has been “pretty similar” following the head coaching change from Bill Belichick to Jerod Mayo.
Mapu expressed relief about being able to attack the offseason program without being injured, and about taking things at a slower pace than he did as a rookie. He emphasized the importance of getting on-field reps.
“It’s different being on the board,” Mapu said. “There’s a lot of knowledgeable minds that can talk ball, see the playbook, and understand what’s going on. But you got to line up in motion, you got to talk to three different people right before the snap, and you only have 10 seconds to do all of this.”
As the Patriots move through their offseason program, with the first organized team activity set for May 20, Mapu said building chemistry with his teammates will be a key in establishing an effective defense.
“I feel like that’s a big part of defensive communication, having that camaraderie, being on the same page, understanding each other,” he said. “We’re going to be on the field all the time, whether it’s practice or the games or meeting rooms.”
Getting schooled in kickoffs
Special teamer Brenden Schooler has an extra resource to prepare for the NFL’s new kickoff rules: his brother.
Schooler’s younger brother Colin Schooler played last year for the Arlington Renegades in the XFL, leading the league in special teams tackles with 15 in 10 games. Brenden said that when they spoke about the rule change, his brother likened the setup to being in a phone booth and stressed the importance of winning one-on-one battles.
Under the new kickoff format, the coverage unit lines up 10 yards apart from the blocking unit, instead of lining up back at the point of the kickoff. The goal is to reduce the number of collisions by eliminating the coverage players sprinting the length of the field.
“He said it was a little bit of a change,” Schooler said. “We’re still getting to know all the rules and seeing how it’s going to look for us. Everybody is in the same boat, at least at this level, where this is the first time for everybody. We’re all just trying to figure it out and come up with the best schemes to get guys free. Just see how it looks on paper first before we go further.”
Schooler, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022, said he will look to take on a more leadership role following the departures of Matthew Slater and Cody Davis. Slater is still around as a member of Mayo’s coaching staff, but as of now, he doesn’t run drills with the special teams unit.
Schooler is hopeful he can impart what he learned from Slater and Davis onto the younger players.
“The faster they get acclimated to the game and the more they know, the better it is for the team in general,” he said.
Signed up
The Patriots signed four tryout players from rookie minicamp: running back Terrell Jennings, guard Ryan Johnson, linebacker Jay Person, and Australian defensive end Jotham Russell. The Patriots will receive a roster exemption for Russell because he is a member of the International Pathway Program.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.