This situation? It’s nothing new for Lorenzo Mauldin. In fact, it’s eerily familiar.

A few years ago, when the dreadlocked linebacker arrived on the campus of Louisville, he was viewed as a pass-rushing specialist. His first year, that’s all he did. The coaches told him that if he wanted to be an every-down player, he needed to prove he belonged on the field full time.

So, Mauldin showed them that, and by his second year, he was the starter.

Fast forward to 2016, and Mauldin is making a similar transition with the Jets. Following a rookie season spent getting the quarterback, he’s now atop the depth chart.

And he believes he’s ready

“It’s about jumping into a bigger role,” Mauldin told Jets Wire by his locker Wednesday. “Showing the coaches I can play.”

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Few players on the Jets roster carry with them as lofty expectations as Mauldin entering the second year of his NFL career. Taken by the Jets in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft, Mauldin showed promise a season ago. Playing primarily in passing situations, the 23 year old finished with 17 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

That, again, was as a rotational player. This year, Mauldin will be on the field each and every play.

“After the season ended in January, the coaches just kept telling me to work on my craft and get better,” Mauldin said. “They wanted me to work on dropping into coverage.

“The pass rush stuff, that comes easy to me. Learning the rest of the defense, knowing what everyone else is doing, that’s the challenge.”

Mauldin’s not wrong. The Jets were well aware he’d be able to rush the passer the moment he arrived in Florham Park, New Jersey. The question the team had then, and still has now, is if he’ll be able to play the run as efficiently as he’s able to rush.

Where the Jets have questions, Mauldin has confidence. He has no doubt, none at all, he’ll be able to do it, and do it quite well.

“That comes with a lot of different things,” Mauldin said. “It comes with gaining weight, being strong in the weight room, being able to progress it onto the field. I stopped the run at Louisville, it wasn’t anything hard.

“It’s just about being able to understand the defensive play, and knowing where you need to contain to keep the ball inside you. At the end of the day, you’re the last line of defense in terms of containing the outside.”

In order to help play the run, Mauldin says he’s gained 15 pounds. In 2015, he played right around 250. When the Jets reported for OTAs early last month, he checked in at 265.

The common misconception with that little tidbit is that a heavier Mauldin means a slower Mauldin. But according to the Jets, that’s not the case. Earlier this month, Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers said Mauldin looked “a lot quicker.” So how’s that possible?

Simple. Mauldin says he didn’t necessarily gain “weight,” but rather “muscle.”

“From me being fat at first, and talking to guys in the weight room, it was about turning that fat into muscle and playing with it,” Mauldin said. “That’s a mental thing. It’s about keeping my legs moving, keeping them moving as fast as they used to go, even when I was 250. Now that I’m 265, I still feel like I’m at the same speed.”

A faster, stronger Mauldin who now, according to him, is just “playing” instead of “thinking?” That would be quite the addition to New York’s defense.

So, what are the expectations for 2016?

“To be honest, man,” Mauldin said, “I just wanna go out and play.”

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Connor Hughes covers the Jets and is the managing editor of Jets Wire. He can be reached on Twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes), or via email (chughes@usatoday.com)