FOXBORO -- JuJu Smith-Schuster is already thoroughly enjoying his time as a member of the Patriots, apparently.
He had an opportunity to experience the passion of the Boston-area fanbase at Game 1 of the Celtics-Sixers series on Monday. He's enjoying the characters he's joined in the Patriots receiver room. And he's soaking up the opportunity to come work for the person he said drew him to sign in New England: Bill Belichick.
"Just being here, honestly, I love it," Smith-Schuster said in his first meeting with reporters Tuesday. "...We have something special here and I think it's going to show."
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Lumped into the things the organization has going for itself, as far as Smith-Schuster is concerned, is its quarterback. He hasn't spent much time on the field yet with Mac Jones, but he shared what he's noticed about his new signal-caller in the time they've spent together early in the offseason program.
"When I signed," Smith-Schuster said, "Mac was in the building already... He was in the building, constantly in, putting in the time and work. His role and his leadership is something I've seen from afar.
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"His work ethic is hard. He's a hard-working guy. He's very, very smart at what he does and just working on his craft. But for Mac, sky's the limit. For the guys we have here and all the weapons, it's going to be a fun year."
A lot will be asked of Smith-Schuster in New England as he learns a new offense and adapts to the roles thrown his way by offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. There were some within the organization who believed the Patriots would be in on receivers early in this year's draft class who could complement Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton.
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No receivers were taken until the sixth round (LSU's Kayshon Boutte and Liberty's Demario Douglas), but Smith-Schuster believes the team already has plenty for Jones to work with.
"Most definitely," he said "Most definitely we have enough. We have guys who can run down the field. We have guys who can do a lot of different things. We got -- what's crazy about this offense that I didn't know about til I got here, there's guys who can play both ways. There's guys who can play receiver, guys who can play in the backfield.
"Seeing you can have so many different weapons with these players, it just gives Mac these opportunities to do what he wants."