More from Mayo

More comments from Patriots first-round pick Jerod Mayo:

Are there guys in the NFL right now who you try to model your game after?
"Not at all. I just try to be Jerod Mayo. At the end of the day, I think after playing with [New England] and learning from the coaches here that I will be a good linebacker and you’ll be asking another linebacker about that question. I’m just excited to get there. I feel like, learning from these guys, these are the best. Junior Seau’s a Pro Bowl guy, a Hall of Fame guy. I’m just going to be a sponge and learn from him and hopefully I can become just as good as he is."

If someone has only seen your statistics, is there something they would be missing? What are some of the intangibles you bring to the field?
"I feel like I bring a winning nature. The Patriots already have a winning nature. I feel like I bring a work ethic. They already have that as well. You can’t really bring too much to a team that only lost one game in a season. I’m just excited to be in the position that I am and to be able to learn from some of the greats in the game."

On if he feels better suited outside or inside:
"I don't have a preference at all. Wherever coach wants to put me. I can learn from one of a couple of the best outside linebackers or I can learn from a couple of the best outside linebackers. Wherever coach wants me to play I'm willing to play. I played all three spots. We even have a 3-4 package in our system at Tennessee and I feel the transition won't be a problem. But I'm just going to be a sponge."

As you thought about the draft and who might take you, and if you went to a team that was not as good as this one, did you have a different idea of what your impact would be?
"To be honest, my mindset was set on - any team I go to I want to make a contribution, whether it be starting linebacker or on special teams. Whether it be a 1-[15] team or anything like that, I want to make a contribution somehow. The Patriots, they pretty much have their team set in stone. These guys only lost one game last year, I just want to come in and make a contribution whether it’s on special teams or as a starter."

Over the last couple of years, what kind of preconceived ideas did you have or do you have about the Patriots and that group of linebackers in particular?
"That they play hard. They’re always making plays and that they’re winners. They win a lot of games, ever since I’ve been watching those guys. Coach Belichick is great. The 3-4 defense, those guys put a lot of pressure on offenses and that’s the type of defense that I like to play in."

In the 3-4 package and how often he was used:
"I played the inside and the outside. I was fortunate enough to play the inside and the outside."

On how the SEC prepared him for the NFL:
"That's pretty much the minor leagues for the NFL, but at the same time the NFL is a whole new game. The game speed changes. Everybody is good. It's more of a mental thing I think. I'm going to be a sponge and try to learn from those guys and see how they study film and study tendencies and things like that and hopefully it won't be a major adjustment for me."

How confident are you you can make a contribution, an impact, you're first year?
"To be honest. I'm really confident. When people here contribution they think this guy wants to come in and get Defensive Rookie of the Year and things like that. That's a goal of mine, but at the same time you can make a contribution on special teams. That's one-third of the game and if that's the case then that's the case. If I do become a starter, then I want to make a contribution that way. Any part of the game, any aspect of the game want me to play I feel like I will succeed in."

How does it make you feel that they're the linebacker that they finally used a first-round pick on you?
"It makes me feel great. He's a great coach, a Hall of Fame coach, and just to have a compliment like that come from a guy like that it means the world to me. I can't wait to get up there to New England and learn from him, study the game with him and become a great player."

What impressed you about the Patriots on your visit?
"I had 11 visits during this whole process. There wasn't an atmosphere like you did when you walked into the building of the Patriots. I'm not sure if it was because they only lost one game and I watched all their games. I just felt the vibe from the coaches and just from everybody from the assistant Nancy [Meier] to all the way to the top. I just felt this was a winning organization and I'm just happy to be here."

I know where your thoughts are now that you’ve been drafted by this team, but when you were growing up what pro football team did you follow? Which players did you try to emulate?
"To be honest, growing up in the Hampton, Virginia area, we watched the Washington Redskins and then I started watching Baltimore. They had a great defense. These past few years, the Patriots’ defense has been very stout. I feel like I can be a part of this defense and make contributions."

Where were you when you got the phone call? Who called you? Where were you? Did you have a draft party with friends and family?
"Actually, the plan was to do yard work. I was in the back yard picking up leaves. I know this time of the year, you don’t expect to see leaves, but we have leaves in our backyard. I was picking up leaves with my mom and I couldn’t do it any more after one bag. I was sitting on the porch, just sitting there thinking and Coach Belichick called me. I was very excited. I had a little get together, a little cookout, but nothing big."

Where else did you visit?
"There was 11 of them. I might miss a couple, but I’ll give you some. The Bills. Detroit. Pittsburgh. Cleveland. Atlanta. St Louis. Dallas. Somebody help me out."

The Jets?
"Yeah, the Jets. I don’t remember. It seems like forever ago. It’s somewhere on the Internet, I promise. Google it."

They say the defense is hard to learn, did you see any schemes at all and did he bring it up that he could take it on earlier than most?
"When I went up there for my visit. We sat down and went over a couple of plays and adjustments and things like that. Then they took it off the board and had me draw the plays back up, the adjustments and things like that. So, I feel pretty confident in my skills to learn systems and things like that. They taught me the very basic plays. I expect it to get a lot more difficult, but at the same time I feel like learning from the great guys they have in that linebacker role I'll be able to catch on pretty fast."

Did it catch you off guard that you went 10?
"I came into this day with no expectations. I was hoping for the best and preparing for the worst."