As I recall, the Patriots opened some eyes during April's draft when they used the No. 10 overall pick -- acquired from San Francisco, I hope Joe Staley was worth it -- on Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo. Not that Mayo wasn't a legitimate first-round talent, and probably the best linebacker in the draft, it just seemed like kind of a surprise to see him go that high. I figured him as more of a mid-late first-rounder, and if any team other than the Patriots had taken him that high, it probably would have been regarded as a reach. Turns out, the selection is already paying off for New England. As Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe points out, Mayo was the only Patriots defensive player to stay on the field for every single snap in Sunday's 17-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
"He was out there for just about all of it," Belichick said. "Jerod has done a good job for us all the way through, and while there is always room for improvement, I thought he did a nice job against Kansas City."He was in all the different personnel groups - running situations, passing situations, two-minute, short-yardage, and so forth. I thought, all in all, he handled things pretty well."
The Patriots have hit with just about every first round pick they've had dating back to the 2001 draft, and if Mayo is already playing in every situation, for every play, it's a good bet that he's on his way to continuing the success.
