Jerod Mayo is excited to be a Patriot. Really excited.
Good luck trying to find someone more excited.
That was the first impression the Pats' first-round choice gave when he was introduced to the New England media yesterday at Gillette Stadium.
In a brief question-and-answer session that lasted less than seven minutes, Mayo managed to mention how "excited" he was no less than seven times. He also stressed how "overwhelmed" he was five times and even dropped in one "elated."
Yep, on the eve of the Pats' rookie camp, it's obvious that New England has one very happy camper on its hands.
The Pats also hope they have a pretty good linebacker to add to the mix on their veteran defense.
Mayo should have Pats fans excited on that score. One of the top linebackers available in last weekend's draft, Mayo went ahead of most projections when New England grabbed the 6-foot-1, 242-pounder with the 10th overall pick.
But the Pats didn't feel they were reaching for the Southeastern Conference's leading tackler, largely because Mayo possesses the kind of intangibles the club seeks out in addition to his obvious physical gifts.
"I'm a hard worker and I'm coming here to contribute to this team any way I can, whether it be on special teams or as a starter," said Mayo, who made 140 stops for Tennessee last year. "I'm coming to make a contribution and help win a championship here."
Mayo admitted he didn't expect to have such a legitimate shot at a title so quickly in his NFL career. Then again, most top 10 picks are joining rebuilding franchises, not a team that came within 35 seconds of a perfect season.
"I never thought I'd be coming to a team that only lost one game last year," said Mayo, "but I'm excited to learn from some of the great vets here and hopefully become as good as those guys are."
Mayo hasn't had a chance to sit down with incumbent linebackers Tedy Bruschi Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas, but is eager to soak up any knowledge they want to impart.
"I'm going to be a sponge here and pick up things from each and every one of these veterans on the team and hopefully have a great career like a lot of these guys have," said Mayo.
The youngster said he has no problems enduring any rookie hazing as he learns the ropes, but didn't hesitate when asked if he would eventually put his own stamp on the franchise.
"I definitely am, whether it be this year or in years to come," said Mayo. "I'm just going to sit back and learn from the greats, guys that have been winning championships before me and now hopefully they'll be winning them with me. So it's very exciting."
In addition to his work ethic, Mayo also attracted the eyes of Pats scouts with his versatility. That's become among the most prized traits for any player in Foxboro since Bill Belichick arrived, and Mayo displayed his positional flexibility by moving from outside linebacker to inside before his junior year at Tennessee.
New England is in need of an infusion of youth at both spots. The Pats also added an outside pass-rusher in the third round in Michigan's Shawn Crable, but Mayo could still see action both inside and out.
"I feel I can play either one of the positions," said Mayo, who has already earned his degree in sports management despite leaving school for the pros after his junior season. "I'm sure once I get my playbook and sit down with the linebackers coach, then I'll know (where he'll play)."
Mayo is also waiting to find out what number he'll be wearing as a Pat. He was presented a No. 1 jersey by owner Robert Kraft yesterday. That was symbolic of being the Patriots' first choice, but he'll have to switch to a number in the 50s or 90s as a linebacker in the NFL.
That will be a change for Mayo. While in bowling players usually go for the 7-10 split, those numbers have been consistently linked for Mayo. After wearing 10 in high school, he went with 7 at Tennessee, and the Pats added a new connection between the numbers by trading down from the seventh spot to grab him at 10.
In presenting the jersey, an annual tradition Kraft has done with all first-round choices in his 15 years owning the team, Kraft spent more time discussing the name on rookie's jersey rather than the number.
"I told Jerod when I first started doing this, I had a different color hair, but this business is a thrilling business," said Kraft, sounding a bit excited himself about meeting Mayo. "I said, tell me something that you think about the connection up here. Without even blinking, he said 'Kraft and Mayo go together.' I thought that was pretty good, and a great connection. I think Kraft-Mayo goes very well."
Mayo hopes his NFL career goes as well as planned. After a whirlwind week, the reality of becoming a Patriot was just starting to hit home. And like any good Belichick disciple, Mayo was already eager to start dishing out hits.
"It definitely has hit me walking out here with the Krafts," said Mayo. "I'm just ready to put my pads on now and hit somebody."
***
While the Pats were getting a glimpse of their future with the introduction of Mayo, they were also celebrating a bit of their past yesterday. The three 2008 finalists for the team's Hall of Fame were announced, with tight end Ben Coates, center Jon Morris and running back Jim Nance up for enshrinement.
Fans can vote online to decide who will be inducted, with the polls open through July 4 on www.patriots.com.
(Douglas Flynn covers the Patriots for the Daily News. He can be reached at dflynn@cnc.com or 508-626-4405.)
