Patriots Rookie Atonio Mafi: 'Surreal' Journey in Tom Brady's Footsteps?

Brady had already won his first of six Super Bowls with the Patriots before Mafi was even two years old, so naturally, the lineman had some catching up to do throughout his childhood.

“By the time I was old enough to understand football and sit there and watch an entire game and understand what was going on, that was peak TB12,” Mafi said.

As Brady's time in New England wound down, Mafi was still early in his UCLA career and transitioning from defense to offense. A few years later, the Patriots hosted Mafi for a pre-draft visit, where he met the other pillar of the team's dynastic run in coach Bill Belichick.

“I couldn’t even remember what he was saying that first time," Mafi said of Belichick. "I was just really shell shocked. That’s what it was like.”

That meeting went well enough for the Patriots to draft Mafi, and although he's only started four of the team's 15 games, he has made a noticeable impact on his teammates. Fellow first-year lineman Sidy Sow said he "loves Mafi to death," while veteran center David Andrews praised him alongside the other rookies up front.

Although Mafi's journey is far from over, the fact that he's come so far already is not lost on him.

“Definitely surreal, definitely grateful for it every day,” Mafi said. “There’s so much history here, and I understand my role right now as a rookie. Just trying to do right by those who came before and show every day that I deserve to be here.”