The Patriots' affinity for older linebackers is really an affinity for players who make the right decisions and can play their scheme properly. That generally comes with experience. The team invested the 10th overall choice in a linebacker because Jerod Mayo apparently fits the mold.
"He's a very intelligent player," coach Bill Belichick told reporters today. "He's a good football player, he's smart, he understands schemes and concepts, he runs the defense, makes the calls, makes adjustments and all those things."
Mayo was known to be on the Patriots radar for some time, but quite a few teams showed interest in him, and the assumption was that Mayo might last until later in the first round.
With the right approach, Mayo should benefit from a group of veteran inside linebackers featuring Tedy Bruschi. The Patriots won't need him to start right away. They were a decent team without him last season, as I recall. But when a team takes a player 10th overall, the idea is to turn him into a starter before long. New England has enough flexibility at the position to move people around if necessary when Mayo is ready to contribute.
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