The New England Patriots drafted Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk 37th overall in the second round on Friday night.
Polk, the #9 prospect in our New England Patriots Top 50 Patriots Prospects will be a jack of trades if you will in offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s offense. He can play the X, F and Z receiver spots and play them effectively. Being able to align in all three spots and having the ability to win vertically like Polk does makes him a tough match up.
Polk says that you need to be able to do that especially when you are entering a new environment and playing for a new team.
“Yeah, I think being a new player, you’ve got to be able to know how to move around, do different things and be able to go out there and contribute to your offense. So, being versatile, being able to move inside and outside, know what everybody’s doing on the field is very important. So, I think it’s my job to know as much as I can, to go out there and make plays for those guys that are putting in work each and every play. I want to put my quarterback in the best situation possible.”
Polk added: “I know I’m going to be able to go out there and make plays for him. So, just being able to help other guys around me and make their job easier as well, so when that guy’s lining up next to me, he can trust me. He can put the trust in me that I’m going to be able to know what I’m going to do. We can feed off each other, be able to communicate and help each other as well.”
Polk started 30 games in his career, including 7 at Texas Tech where he played in 2020. He has been the Huskies number two receiver the past two seasons behind Chicago Bears first round pick Rome Odunze. You wouldn’t know he was a number two receiver however. During his time in Seattle, Polk caught 115 passes for 1,967 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
Polk credits his coaches like current Patriots wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes who coached Polk in 2022.
“I just remember always being in the facility, always trying to build our team up and finding ways for us to go out there and win games. When you have an opportunity to be around great coaches like that, who are determined to get their players better, and their team as well, it creates a championship experience. So, it’s a blessed opportunity just to be able to be called by a guy that loves to work and loves to win games.”
Polk will now be reunited with Hughes and he will be counted on to be a big part of the Patriots offense. He will start at the X receiver spot on the backside but he will be moved around based on formation and personnel grouping. He knows he will be asked to do a lot and one of the things he has worked on is improving his route running so that he can play multiple roles.
“I’m always trying to find a way to get better, just having more energy in my routes, being more efficient coming out of my breaks. So, that’s something that I’ve had the opportunity to work on with my trainer, Delfonte (Diamond), these past couple of weeks leading up to this process. Being more explosive, being able to break off those tackles, make that extra guy miss, utilizing my body and my strengths. Knowing that I’m a physical receiver, stiff-arming a guy and making that guy miss. So, I’m excited to be able to show the world what I can do again and go help this team win games.”
The Patriots got a worker. Ask former Huskies Coach Kalen DeBoer and former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and they will tell that he was one of the hardest workers on their team and they applaud his toughness and strength. That’s high praise.
Question is. Will Polk develop into a number one receiver? He certainly has the right attributes (6-1 203). He profiles similar to Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper. Not as explosive but similar body type. If that is the case, it is not unreasonable to expect 800-1,000 yards and 6-8 touchdowns out of him.
The Patriots receiver room improved last night. Polk will make an impact.