Patriots tinkering around with position for versatile rookie defender

We’ve already written a bit about New England Patriots third-round pick Marte Mapu out of Sacramento State and his dual-ability to play linebacker and safety, which he did in college. We had a feeling that the Patriots would see that versatility and likely play him in a similar role. It looks like they might be planning to do exactly that. The team currently has Mapu officially listed as a linebacker on their roster, but according to Doug Kyed of A to Z Sports, they have been utilizing him lately to help fill the void left by former safety Devin McCourty, who retired in March.

The Patriots are no strangers to experimenting with young players and moving them around the field. Mapu allows them a perfect opportunity to do just that. At only 216 pounds, he is a touch too light to be a perfect fit at linebacker. With Sacramento State, Mapu played mostly an in-between role in the slot before lining up at linebacker in the Senior Bowl. At his first OTA practice in New England, he played linebacker. In the two subsequent practices, McCourty’s old safety role.

Not only does Mapu feel comfortable playing both roles, his teammates are also under the impression that the adjustment from the FCS to the NFL is coming easy to the defender, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. His flexibility and progression have combined to earn him first-team snaps extremely early in his career, as reported by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Here are a few more rumors coming out of Foxborough:

• After releasing James Robinson earlier this week, the Patriots may be looking to add another body to the position room, according to Karen Guregian of MassLive. The team will run with Rhamondre Stevenson as their No. 1 next year, no question, but the names behind him inspire little confidence. Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris and Ty Montgomery combined for 150 rushing yards last year. Strong and Montgomery are reportedly in the running to compete for a third-down back role – with Harris potentially slotting in as RB2 – but one has to imagine the Patriots are considering their options. Obviously, Dalvin Cook is available, but if the team would like to pursue someone more accustomed to working with another rusher, Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Kenyan Drake are interesting names to watch.
• New England spent two draft picks on specialists this spring, selecting Maryland kicker Chad Ryland in the fourth round and Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer in the sixth. Despite demonstrating enough of a commitment to spend draft capital on the pair, Guregian relays that neither is a lock to replace incumbent respective specialists Nick Folk and Corliss Waitman. Guregian expects a heavy competition for both kicking jobs and does not rule out the possibility of the battle losers landing on the team’s practice squad.
• Former Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham was highly-sought after he went undrafted in April. The Patriots landed his talents, thanks to a deal that included $200K in guaranteed money. The money might not have been the only factor in Cunningham choosing New England for his professional destination, though. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Cunningham told the media that “the Patriots were the only team before the draft to work him out at (wide receiver).” While he is listed as a quarterback on the team’s roster, perhaps being worked out at receiver gave Cunningham the impression that he would have more playing opportunities or a better chance to make the 53-man roster.