Mayo is the sixth straight linebacker to win the award - last year's winner was Patrick Willis of the 49ers - and only the second Patriot. Cornerback Mike Haynes, who went on to be a Hall of Famer, won in 1976.
"It definitely means a lot to me," said Mayo. "I knew when they first drafted me that I was going to a winning organization. They had older guys on the team that I knew I could learn from. I look at it as a team award because I couldn't have done it without those guys."
The 10th overall selection in the draft and the first linebacker selected with a first-day pick in Bill Belichick's tenure as Patriots coach, the 6-foot-1-inch, 242-pound Mayo did what few thought was possible for a rookie in Belichick's 3-4 defense - make an immediate impact. He was a starter in the opener against the Kansas City Chiefs and rarely came off the field for the rest of the season, injecting youth and athleticism into the Patriots' defense.
The Patriots trusted the 22-year-old Mayo enough to let him run the defensive huddle at times.
"Jerod has been a pleasure to coach," said Belichick in a statement. "From the day he arrived, Jerod has been mature and extremely dedicated to his profession and those qualities translated into consistent production on the field. There are still areas Jerod can improve on, but his career is off to a fine start. I am very happy for Jerod."
Mayo admitted he was surprised he was a starter from Day 1 on a team that had gone 18-1 in 2007. He also was pleasantly surprised that such a veteran team welcomed him with open arms, no one more than veteran inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi, whom Mayo called "like an older brother to me."
"Coming out of college, I had heard horror stories about coming in as a rookie - guys really wouldn't help you," said Mayo. "I came into the Patriots organization thinking the worst - that these guys weren't going to help me, and they aren't going to want me to play, but it was the exact opposite."
