His obvious physical gifts aside, it's easy to see why the Patriots drafted Jerod Mayo.
The speedy, hard-hitting linebacker also possesses a trait that New England preaches often to its players: humility. Tommy Austin, Mayo's high school coach in Virginia, can vouch for that, as he does today in The Providence Journal.
"You can talk to the teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers that were at Kecoughtan [high school] when he was there, and they will all tell you that you would have never known that he was a star football player. He’s always been a humble kid."
Toughness is another quality the New England coaches like in their Patriots. And it seems their new cornerback, Terrence Wheatley, has plenty of it.
After several wrist surgeries in college, Wheatley had a titanium rod inserted in the area to remedy the problem. Apparently, it broke halfway through the 2006 season.
"He played in pain and didn't tell anyone," Colorado assistant coach Greg Brown revealed to The Boston Globe. "The day after the season was over, against Nebraska, he went in immediately and had it taken care of."
And now that the 2008 NFL Draft is over, which rivals made the best moves to challenge New England's supremacy in the AFC?
The Patriot Ledger offers its opinions, assigning threat levels of low, medium, and high to the Pats' conference opponents.
