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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Last year at this time, quarterback Mac Jones had yet to take his determined walk across the stage at the 2021 NFL draft as the New England Patriots‘ first-round pick.

Fast-forward one year and Jones is spending time this week in Tampa, Florida working out with three top returning receivers (Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers) and newcomer DeVante Parker in what could be viewed as a decisive reflection of his willingness to expand his leadership within the team.

It’s what many, including those at the highest levels of the organization, hope to see unfold.

“I actually believe he has a little more edge than we’ve seen. But he’s been respectful of coming in as a rookie,” owner Robert Kraft said last week at the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.

Jones’ on-field workout with teammates in Tampa, Agholor’s hometown, figures to be one of many this offseason. The Patriots’ official voluntary offseason program begins April 18 at Gillette Stadium, and Jones is expected to be a full participant, but there are no rules that prohibit players from gathering on their own to build additional rapport.

Bourne provided a sneak peek, via Instagram, of what is happening in Tampa this week.

After the Patriots acquired Parker from the Miami Dolphins in a trade last week, Parker’s injury history was noted on ESPN’s NFL Live on Monday, with analyst Tedy Bruschi highlighting the role of Jones in helping Parker thrive.

“When you bring in a receiver that you need to get the most out of, you put him in the offense, and who plays a big part in that? The quarterback. In terms of getting on a relationship with this guy … Mac has to become that quarterback now. You’re no longer a rookie. Those conversations, the serious ones, receiver to quarterback, man, ‘I need you out there.'”

Jones’ potential increased leadership within the team was foreshadowed by coach Bill Belichick when he was asked last week about longtime franchise stalwarts such as safety Devin McCourty, special teams ace Matthew Slater and running back James White returning in 2022 as they near the end of their careers.

“Just like some of the great players in the past, whether it be Tedy Bruschi or Logan Mankins, and go right down the line — Willie McGinest and Vince Wilfork. Jerod Mayo. Troy Brown. We all know it’s not going to last forever. Other leaders need to develop. These guys all stepped in for somebody before them. And somebody will step in for them in the future. It’s the NFL. …

“I think Mac will step into those roles eventually. Start with that.”

The Patriots had two offensive captains last season — White and center David Andrews. The other three captains were on defense (McCourty and linebacker Dont’a Hightower) and special teams (Slater).

So the door is open for Jones to become a captain in just his second season, and White — returning for his ninth season with the Patriots — saw the early signs of that becoming a possibility last year.

“As soon as he stepped into the building, you could see the kid was going to be a good football player, and I think he got better and better each and every week. He took on that leadership as a rookie,” White said. “First off, being a rookie and starting all the games, that’s not an easy job. He’s a good competitor, works hard, and he attacks each and every day.”

Jones’ leadership evolved during his college career at Alabama, with coach Nick Saban noting that Jones’ body language and avoiding negative reactions when things went wrong were hurdles for him to clear.

Jones showed his growth late in the 2019 season, throwing two pick-sixes in an Iron Bowl loss, but coming back each time to lead touchdown drives and ultimately put the team in position to tie (if not for a missed field goal attempt). The way Jones took big hits in that game, and didn’t waver, earned him additional respect among teammates when he was voted a team captain.

In his final season at Alabama in 2020, “he presented a genuine personality to his teammates in which he didn’t take himself too seriously,” said Mike Rodak, who covers Alabama for AL.com. That connection with teammates showed itself at Alabama’s second pro day, when receiver DeVonta Smith — already a surefire top-15 pick — risked injury to catch passes from Jones.

Kraft believes similar growth as a leader could unfold for Jones this year, and the workouts with teammates in Tampa seem like a good sign.

“These young quarterbacks, the good ones, in the second year have usually grown a great deal. I’m a big fan of Mac Jones. You see how hard he works. He wants everything to go right. He puts [in] the time and energy, and his personality as a team guy,” Kraft said.

“He’s such a good person, and humble. I come in there sometimes on the weekend, or early, and he’s there working out, watching film, just doing things that I wouldn’t believe someone of his background would have that kind of commitment given his past. The guys in the locker room really like him. I’m very high on him and I think the staff did a great job drafting him. We’re lucky to have him for our future.”

Andrew Whitworth was the left tackle for the Los Angeles Rams for five seasons, but somehow it felt like more.

Whitworth joined the Rams in 2017, when they were coming off a 4-12 season, playing in the aging Los Angeles Coliseum and quarterbacked by Jared Goff. By time he retired earlier this month, the Rams were Super Bowl champions, playing in the most modern of NFL stadiums at SoFi Stadium and quarterbacked by Matthew Stafford.

It’s going to take the Rams a little while to get used to a world without him.

“It’s a new era of Rams offensive line,” center Brian Allen said. “It’s going to be weird without Whit there.”

The Rams have been grooming his replacement, Joe Noteboom — a third-round draft pick in 2018 — the past four seasons. Noteboom has played various offensive line positions, started a total of 17 regular-season games and was recently re-signed by the Rams to a three-year, $40 million contract with $25 million guaranteed.

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“The best part is knowing the coaches have the confidence in you to sign you back to a contract here and put you in that spot,” Noteboom said. “But it’s also a challenge. Being the guy now comes with a little more responsibility. It’s motivating more than ever.”

Noteboom said his four seasons as Whitworth’s teammate weren’t wasted. He said he learned things such as work habits, preparing his body for a long season and diet from the veteran tackle.

“It was a perfect situation [to learn],” Noteboom said. “There was no other guy in the league I’d rather have been behind for those four years. That gives me confidence going into it.”

Noteboom played some at both tackle spots and left guard last season, his first with Stafford as his teammate.

“He’s a plug-and-play player for us,” Stafford said. “Wherever we needed him, he stepped in and played at a high level against some really quality opponents. I’m looking forward to seeing his development on the left side and seeing him do his thing for a bunch of years.”

Allen and Noteboom arrived the same season as Rams draft picks. Allen said Noteboom was “the left tackle in waiting” over the past four years even as he moved around the offensive line.

“I think that left tackle spot really is where he’ll shine the most,” Allen said. “I’m pumped for him to have this opportunity to really be the guy. … He absorbed so much wisdom and so much stuff that Whit taught him over those four years.”

Allen also re-signed with the Rams this year, on a three-year contract for $18 million, with $10 million guaranteed.

“It was definitely a little more stressful than I thought it was going to be … being my first time having gone through free agency so I really wasn’t sure what to expect or really what I was getting myself into,” he said. “But I wanted to be back in L.A. and I’m excited about how things unfolded.

“I really didn’t want to leave not knowing how much better I could be in our offense. That was definitely something that was in the back of my mind that I didn’t want to go somewhere and be in a situation where I didn’t have someone like Matt to work with … he’d be a hard person to let know you were leaving.”

Losing Whitworth isn’t the only change coming to the Rams on offense. They also traded wide receiver Robert Woods to the Tennessee Titans for a sixth-round pick in 2023. But they added another receiver, Allen Robinson II, in free agency with a three-year, $46.5 million contact and re-signed Stafford to a four-year contract extension worth $160 million.

The Rams could still re-sign wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., though he won’t be available early next season after tearing his ACL in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Dean a Patriots fit? Last year, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay hit the bull’s-eye in his final mock draft, projecting quarterback Mac Jones to the Patriots at No. 15. McShay correctly paired Jones’ skill set — specifically a knack for accuracy and decision-making — with what the Patriots valued at a significant position of need.

This year, inside linebacker is one of the Patriots’ top needs, and McShay has isolated one player who intrigues him most for Bill Belichick’s team in the 2022 NFL draft, which starts April 28 on ESPN.

“The one player I would kill to see with the Patriots — just because I love him and know where he would excel the most would be in New England with Bill — would be [Georgia’s] Nakobe Dean,” he said.

“I’ve talked and met with him, and I’ve talked with multiple scouts and we all kind of agree: There isn’t a better player in this class in terms of football IQ. You match that IQ with what New England tries to do — they’re so multiple and differentiate from week to week — that would be a lot of fun to watch.”

Dean might not be available at the Patriots’ first selection at No. 21; former Jets and Dolphins GM Mike Tannenbaum slots him 17th to the Los Angeles Chargers in his ESPN mock draft.

But if Dean is available, longtime observers of Belichick’s history drafting inside linebackers note that selecting him would represent a notable shift in approach. The reason is the 5-foot-11, 229-pound Dean is dramatically undersized compared to the Patriots’ prototype (think of 6-foot-3, 260-pound Dont’a Hightower).

McShay compares Dean to former New York Jets and New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. Those players might not have been known most for charging downhill and taking on guards — a staple for those playing the position under Belichick — but they were dynamic playmakers, especially in space.

And given how the NFL game continues to be spread out — and considering what the Patriots now face twice a year with read-option concepts from Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — perhaps Belichick is more willing to consider a player like Dean in 2022 than he would have in the past.

“Find me a faster linebacker in terms of play speed in this class,” McShay said. “You’re talking about nine guys who could get drafted on that defensive side for Georgia, and he was the best player on it. You’re talking about a player — with two linebackers next to him in [Channing] Tindall and Quay Walker that are going to be drafted on Day 2 — and he’s two steps ahead almost every snap.”

2. Belichick bytes: Belichick showed up early to answer questions from reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, last week (surprising many), and here were three things — possibly lost a bit in the shuffle — that stood out in terms of how strongly he views a few people in the organization:

• WR Matthew Slater re-signed to one-year deal: “[He] will go up there, in the kicking game, with [Tom] Brady on offense and [Lawrence] Taylor on defense. So I feel very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach all the players, but I’d say those three in particular.”

• Matt Groh, who was promoted to director of player personnel: “He really put the draft together last year. With Dave [Ziegler] leaving, I feel like he’s the best person to step into the personnel job. I think he’s as good as anybody we’ve had in that position.”

• S Devin McCourty re-signed to one-year deal: “Having Devin back, that makes a difference what we can do defensively.”

3. Corner market: The Patriots will ideally draft and develop a replacement for cornerback J.C. Jackson, although the team’s first-round slot at No. 21 might not represent the best value to do so.

McShay expects top cornerbacks Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (Cincinnati), Derek Stingley Jr. (LSU) and Trent McDuffie (Washington) to be off the board at that point, which would have the Patriots focusing on the second layer. Of the group, McShay likes Kaiir Elam (Florida) and Roger McCreary (Auburn) as Day 2 considerations.

“They would be good Patriots — they tackle, can play both man and zone. They can be multiple and adjust to weekly changes in the game plan,” he said.

(In a beat-writer mock draft for NewOrleansFootball.com, your faithful scribe pounced on McDuffie when he was unexpectedly available.)

4. Schedule planning: The Patriots have no shortage of compelling road trips this season — Arizona, Cleveland, Green Bay, Las Vegas, Minnesota and Pittsburgh for non-division foes — and a league source said the NFL is planning for its schedule release for the second week of May. As for international games, a source said the Patriots aren’t expected to be chosen to play the Cardinals in Mexico or Packers in London this season. The belief among the New England brain trust is that the team is most likely to play its next international game in Germany in 2023.

5. Jonnu’s offseason: One of the most significant things to come out of the NFL’s annual meeting from a Patriots perspective was learning that tight end Jonnu Smith plans to spend the offseason as part of the team’s voluntary offseason program. Smith didn’t do that last season, in part due to the birth of his daughter and COVID-19 considerations. Some around the team believed it wasn’t a coincidence that fellow tight end Hunter Henry — who had spent the majority of last offseason in town working with Jones & Co. — had a more productive first season in New England than Smith. Henry, by the way, was back in town last week.

6. Why not Williams? The lack of speed and difference-makers on the perimeter — both offensively and defensively — stood out to McShay when watching the Patriots in their 47-17 playoff loss to the Bills. It’s why he would endorse selecting Alabama receiver Jameson Williams at No. 21 if the board fell that way. It would require some patience, with Williams recovering from a torn ACL, but McShay said he wouldn’t be surprised if Williams ultimately becomes the best receiver in this year’s draft. “I just think the speed, having a guy that can get vertical, and also catch the 5-yarder and go 35, 40, 50 yards with it, would be excellent for them to have,” he said.

7. LaFleur’s void: In 13 NFL seasons, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has never been to Gillette Stadium, which he said is the league’s only older venue he’s never visited. “I hear it’s hard to win up there,” he said, referencing the Patriots’ league-best 130-31 home record since 2002 (although New England is 9-8 at home over the past two seasons). These are the types of nuggets a reporter picks up at the NFL annual meeting, where it’s commonplace to bump into coaches and strike up a conversation. LaFleur’s Packers aren’t scheduled to visit until 2026.

8. Patriots Hall call: After a one-year COVID-19-related hiatus to allow for 2020 inductee Richard Seymour to have the player stage to himself in 2021, the Patriots Hall of Fame committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to narrow the list of finalists for induction this year. Mike Vrabel has been a five-time finalist but has yet to get over the goal line. Maybe this is finally his year. Vince Wilfork and Wes Welker are newly eligible, and if they make it through the committee as the three finalists, it will be interesting to see how the final voting by fans would shake out.

9. AFC East tax for Parker: From a Dolphins perspective, trading receiver DeVante Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick is excellent value. Parker was Miami’s No. 4 receiver at best — behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson — and it also clears his base salaries of $5.65 million in 2022 and $5.7 million in 2023 off the books. So, while some might question the wisdom of trading Parker within the division, it’s hard to believe any other NFL team was offering a deal with as rich of an asset as a 2023 third-round pick. And for the receiver-needy Patriots, the deal probably doesn’t happen if they weren’t expecting a third-round compensatory pick due to the free-agent departure of Jackson.

10. Did you know? With the Patriots acquiring Parker and agreeing to a one-year deal with safety/punt returner Jabrill Peppers last week, they become the sixth and seventh players on the roster who entered the NFL as a first-round pick (2015 and 2017, respectively). The others are McCourty (2010), receiver Nelson Agholor (2015), offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn (2018), receiver N’Keal Harry (2019) and Jones (2021).