LB JA'WHAUN BENTLEY

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(On what the first few days have been like)
"You've got a lot of new players you're trying to meet, trying to get the playbook down, so that's all I'm focused on right now."

(On if he would describe himself as an old-school middle linebacker)
"I don't do any labels, so I'm just excited to come out here, just do what I've got to do to help the team."

(On what this opportunity means to him)
"An opportunity for me to join something special and just come out here and find a role and be the best player I can be."
(On his connection with Rosevelt Colvin)
"Rosevelt, of course, obviously is an alumni of Purdue. I have great contact with a lot of guys, alumni from Purdue. So, having him reach out definitely means a lot. I keep in very close contact with a lot of them."

(On how welcoming the veterans have been)
"Everyone has been open arms, open ears, just trying to help us out and get us going along."

(On what it was like to put on a Patriots helmet and jersey for the first time)
"It's definitely a milestone. It's a different level, so you've just got to come out here ready to go. I'm just excited about it."

(On his relationship with the other rookies)
"We've all been getting along very well. So, we're all good, we're all excited to learn and we all are just trying to make sure we get everything down."

DB DUKE DAWSON

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(On the early stages of his transition to the NFL)
"It's going pretty great. It's great for me. Just come in every day, learn and improve. It's a great opportunity."

(On his confidence level during the 2016 season at Florida)
"I mean I always had confidence. I just had to wait my turn, and when my turn came, I just played my role." 

(On where his sense of hard work comes from)
"It came from my family. My family is very hard-working and they've just always pushed me since I was little. So it's just always been embraced in me. Whatever I do, I just always want to do it at a high level."

(On what his family does for work)
"My mom is a school teacher. My uncle, he's in the logging business. He's a boss. My dad is in the logging business. They just always tried to prepare me to be mentally tough."

(On beginning his studies and practicing with the team)
"It's great. Like I said, I just come in every day - open ears, closed mouth - to learn. It's new to me. It's how I've always been.

(On his goals for OTAs and minicamp)
"Just going out and just competing every day, trying to improve myself - like I said, learning from the coaches and the veterans. That's always how I've been when I first went into college, just going in and trying to learn everything with open ears."

(On players he modeled his game after or watched growing up)
"My biggest role model coming up was my godbrother Nick Collins who played for Green Bay. Just being able to see him play the game of football at a high level with the love and the passion that he had, that kind of drove me a little bit more as well."

LB CHRISTIAN SAM

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(On rookie minicamp and getting acclimated)
"You know, we've just been, us rookies, getting in, trying to catch up to all the vets and learn as much as we can and be a sponge. Just get as much information as we can and just work hard and try to find our place in the building with the vets."

(On the strength of his game)
"Right now I'm just working hard trying to, like I said, catch up with what's going on around the building, catch up with the vets because they have all the experience. Like I said, I'm going to be a sponge. We all want to be a sponge because we're coming in late and we've got to catch up. We've got a lot to catch up [on]."

(On if he has relied on the veterans to learn)
"I've talked to a lot of guys in the locker room, and anyone in the locker room has more experience than I do. Like I said, I'm just trying to learn as much as I can about this system, about the league, about everything that's going on around the building."

(On his biggest takeaway since being here)
"Work hard. I mean, I've always known that, but work hard and everything you do, go hard, be attentive and just - not follow - but there's been a standard set here and just keep going with it."

(On what it was like to put on a Patriots helmet and jersey for the first time)
"It was just good to be playing football again, not training for the combine and non-related football stuff. So, it was good to be back there playing football again."

(On if he has had a chance to catch his breath between earning his degree, being drafted and rookie minicamp)
"I was blessed to be able to get my degree. That was a big goal. But, you know, now I'm here and I'm working. I'm excited."

Transcripts are provided by the Patriots media relations department as a courtesy to the media and are edited for readability. All press conferences are posted and archived in their entirety at patriots.com.