FOXBORO -- We can hit you with every qualifier there is.
We can remind you that the Patriots practices that have been held to this point in the year have been held without pads. We can reiterate that a number of the team periods that played out in front of reporters over the last several weeks are, in fact, not competitive. We can parrot Bill Belichick and say that OTAs and minicamp are "teaching camps" not "competition camps."
And yet nothing is going to get the Marte Mapu Hype Train back on the tracks. It's rolling uncontrollably downhill toward some high-end comparisons that no one saw coming when he was taken in the third round out of Sacramento State.
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"He runs like a free safety," Matthew Judon said of his rookie teammate Tuesday. "But he stands like a linebacker or an edge player. That's another guy that can play on all three levels. I think you have people like that here all the time. You have people like Jamie Collins or (Dont'a) Hightower and stuff like that. It's just new names. It's just new names in that situation.
"I'm not saying they're going to be as good as those guys or leave a legacy as those guys, but they have a chance. And that's all you kind of ask for. And so with [Mapu], when he comes out here, when he puts on those pads, he's going to have to show it. It's easy to do in shorts and shirts, but I think he has the ability and uniqueness to be a really good player."
While on the one hand, mentioning Mapu in the same breath as Pro Bowl-level Swiss Army Knives who've previously been featured in Belichick's defense might be premature… on the other, there's no denying he had an excellent spring.
He looked comfortable at linebacker, free safety and in the slot. He clearly has good size to play in the secondary, and the plays he made on the football make it seem as though he has the speed to factor in there as well. Add in the fact that perhaps his greatest strength entering the draft was his ability to hammer people, and he looks like the kind of well-rounded and intelligent option that has led defensive units in Foxboro in the past.
"Man, he's a smart dude," Jabrill Peppers said. "Obviously his physical traits speak for itself. But he's a smart, smart dude. Always asking questions. You can tell he wants to understand not just what his job is but what the whole defense is. When you understand conceptually that way, it allows you to play faster and make more plays. He's a young guy, but he's out there communicating already. He's shown the ability to play 'backer and safety. I'm excited for his potential.
"As far as his IQ and his instincts, it's a perfect blend of both. Obviously he's still raw, he's still young. He has to pick his spots. But that's what OTAs are for. We ain't playing a game until September. We got a lot of time to get where we need to be. We just need to keep at it."
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Mapu wore a red non-contact jersey throughout the spring as he recovers from a pec injury suffered before the draft, but he ran with defensive starters on a regular basis during minicamp and looks poised to challenge for a real role when practices resume for training camp late next month.
For now, we can safely place him in the "stock up" category for his work in May and June. Who else belongs there with him? Whose stock is headed in the other direction? Let's find out…
Stock up
Marte Mapu: Add him to the list of multi-positional threats in Belichick's defense along with the likes of Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones and Myles Bryant. Even if he doesn't play immediately as a rookie, he could provide valuable depth at multiple spots. That this is already apparent, in mid-June? Has to make Belichick smile.
Mac Jones: If onlookers were expecting to see a split in quarterback reps that would indicate a competition for the top spot at the most important position on the roster, those expectations were not met. Jones was the clear No. 1 throughout the spring, and he did nothing to lose that distinction.
He didn't have a perfect set of minicamp practices -- he was "sacked" three times on Day 1; he threw a pick to Jack Jones on Day 2 -- but he was very vocal and exhibited real command of the offense being installed by Bill O'Brien. He also flashed high-level accuracy with big-play strikes to Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker (who had two impressive jump-ball grabs on Tuesday).
Jack Jones: After finishing last season suspended by the team, the second-year corner looks like he's starting 2023 with a clean slate. He played on the outside with the top defensive unit, and he was consistently around the football. His most impressive play was a leaping interception of Mac Jones when a deep shot hung in the air for Hunter Henry. Jones left his assignment, tracked the football, and snagged it before Henry could make a play for it. His hands and instincts figure to make him one of the top options on the outside -- likely opposite rookie Christian Gonzalez -- for Steve Belichick and Jerod Mayo.
Mike Gesicki: Even though it was clear upon Gesicki's signing that 12 personnel would be a key element of O'Brien's plan this coming season, what wasn't clear was just how quickly Gesicki would get up to speed. After watching him this spring, the answer there appears to be "very." He was consistently on the field with Hunter Henry and Mac Jones in minicamp, and he made one of the better catches of the two days when on Tuesday he reeled in a seam pass from Jones with Adrian Phillips all over him in coverage.
As a big-bodied target over the middle of the field, Gesicki looked to have already established some chemistry with Jones. The pair connected on seven of Gesicki's eight targets in competitive periods over two days of work.
Jake Andrews: Andrews was billed as a rookie who will be able to play guard or center, and he played both during minicamp. He actually got a significant amount of time with the top offensive line group with Mike Onwenu (ankle) out. The fourth-rounder out of Troy also looked like the backup to David Andrews at center.
For a team in need of a Ted Karras play-every-interior-position option, Andrews looks like a fit. He could be in line to take on that role right away. Veteran Bill Murray -- who drew praise from Belichick on Tuesday -- is worthy of an honorable mention here as he's also taken snaps alongside David Andrews this spring after transitioning from defense to offense last summer.
Stock down
Trent Brown: This one is pretty self-explanatory. Missed one day. Barely practiced the next. Even though his stock is down, though, the Patriots may simply have to swallow hard and do everything they can to get the best version of Brown they possibly can. If they don't, their issues at tackle become magnified.
Riley Reiff: For some reason Reiff found himself with the backups during minicamp, giving up right tackle reps to Conor McDermott. The veteran who played last season in Chicago received just over $4 million in guarantees this offseason to be one of the team's top-three linemen. He looked like No. 4 by the time the spring wrapped up. Fellow free-agent signee Calvin Anderson was the top left tackle with Brown out, but he was beaten by quickness on multiple occasions Tuesday. Didn't feel like either player established himself as a go-to starting option headed into training camp.
Bailey Zappe: The second-year quarterback did get a set of starter reps late on Day 2 of minicamp with Mac Jones then taking snaps with the second team. But it doesn't feel like Zappe is poised to push Jones for the starting role come late July. He fought bouts of inaccuracy on both days, including a skipped pass in the flat to JJ Taylor and an overthrow to Anthony Firkser on Day 1.
On Day 2 he threw behind Taylor and Malik Cunningham for incompletions, threw one deep to no one on an obvious miscommunication, and then sent one well wide and into a crowd on the sideline when targeting tight end Scotty Washington. Zappe completed a nice pass to Firkser deep down the field between Patriots zone defenders on Tuesday, and he went 5-for-5 with starters (he took one sack by Matthew Judon) when he got a chance with the top offense. But Zappe looks like he'll have to really light it up with his opportunities to push Jones for playing time. That didn't happen this week.
More Patriots minicamp coverage
Tyquan Thornton: The second-year wideout should experience a real leap in productivity going from Year 1 to Year 2, but he didn't have a chance to show his progress during minicamp. Dealing with what's been reported by ESPN as a soft-tissue issue, Thornton was spotted doing some rehab work on the lower field during both days of practice. Those types of injuries in the past have been viewed by the team as preventable. Plus, any amount of work Thornton could get in O'Brien's offense -- potentially carving out a greater role for himself than the one he had as a rookie -- would've been beneficial. One would think he's ready for training camp, but he lands in this category after missing an opportunity to create some positive momentum going into the summer.
Kendrick Bourne: The veteran wideout was one of only two receiver options -- along with DeVante Parker -- with real game-day experience who happened to be available this week. Fellow vet and free-agent acquisition JuJu Smith-Schuster missed minicamp as he dealt with an injury that kept him out of the majority of the team's OTA work. But Smith-Schuster seems to have a role waiting for him as the team's top slot receiver. Bourne's role seems less certain if all wideout options are healthy.
He had a down year last year in an odd offensive situation for the Patriots -- something he admitted to reporters recently -- and this spring he only really stood out for his availability. He had a false-start penalty that earned him a lap on Day 1 of minicamp, and then he had a pass bounce off his upper arm late on Day 2 that was picked off by Marcus Jones. Bourne saw only five targets from Mac Jones in competitive periods over two days of work, catching three. One of those was a touchdown against an all-out blitz so it wasn't all bad. But he didn't exactly grab his opportunity with Thornton and Smith-Schuster out to prove to the coaching staff that he's ready to improve on his 2021, when he had over 800 yards receiving with Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator.