Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Fittingly, when Ja’Whaun Bentley began his Patriots career he was wearing No. 51.

Of course, one of his coaches, Jerod Mayo, also used to wear that number when he was in the middle leading the defense.

It’s a bit hard to believe, but Bentley is entering his fifth NFL season now and has become one of the leaders of that unit, just like Mayo was. After dealing with an injury his rookie year where he only played three games, Bentley played in 16 games in 2019 and 2021 and 13 games in 2020. Last year was the first time he started all 16 games (13 in 2020, two each in 2018 and 2019) and that experience has helped him take command of the linebackers room and to an extent, the entire front seven.

“Bentley’s been great, but it’s not just this year,” said Mayo prior to practice on Monday. “He’s definitely grown since my first year coaching in 2019. It’s his room. He’s done an excellent job for us in the classroom and he’s done an excellent job coming out here being ready to go.”

Mayo was arguably the best communicator on defense the Patriots have had since the Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest days, so Bentley’s been able to learn from one of the best when it comes to communication.

“Of course, Jerod was probably the best communicator on defense we’ve ever had here, so I’m sure that Bent’s learned a lot from him, but at the same time, he has a lot of those natural qualities himself,” head coach Bill Belichick said Monday. “He’s done a great job for us. I’m really glad we have him. He and Devin [McCourty] do a great job of leading the defense: Bentley in the front seven, McCourty in the back end. And they work together well.”

Bentley got a pretty harsh bit of criticism from fans and “pundits” when he wasn’t able to produce early on in his career due to injury, but Belichick never strayed from believing in him, especially when those leadership qualities stuck out all the way back in high school.

“Ja’Whaun’s got great leadership ability, I think you saw that all the way – however far you want to go back – but even going back to DeMatha High School, and his role there and some of the things we talk about in high school, then of course at Purdue,” Belichick added. “Then, he got hurt, he had a little set-back there, but then he came back. The conversations, comments about him and what he was with his team, whether it was high school team, college team, and then what we’ve seen here where he’s really come in and grown from his rookie year. He’s had a very strong voice, but not overpowering. But he has really good leadership.

“Each year it’s gotten better. This year, he’s had an outstanding training camp. He’s a very smart player, he understands situations, calls, adjustments – knows how to apply them and does a great job of communicating. He’s a very good communicator. I know Jerod and Steve [Belichick] have spent a lot of time with him and encouraged that.”

When the Patriots open up in Miami in a few weeks, No. 8 will be in the middle and most eyes on the field will be on him waiting for a call as the new leader of the revamped Pats’ defense. The trust his teammates and coaches now have in him speaks volumes about the hard work he’s put in to earn that type of respect from players and coaches alike.