The New England Patriots entered the 2024 NFL Draft with a definitive need at the wide receiver position and did not waste much time to address it. With the 37th overall selection in the second round, they acquired Ja’Lynn Polk from the University of Washington to give quarterback Drake Maye a potential future go-to target to develop alongside him.
At least early on in their careers, however, the two are seemingly finding themselves on a different trajectory.
Hard facts
Name: Ja’Lynn Polk
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: 1
Opening day age: 23 (4/11/2002)
Measurements: 6’1 3/8”, 203 lbs, 74 1/2” wingspan, 31 3/4” arm length, 9 3/4” hand size, 4.52s 40-yard dash, 37 1/2” vertical jump, 10’9” broad jump, 8.84 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: England Patriots (2024-) | College: Texas Tech (2020), Washington (2021-23)
A three-star recruit coming out of Lufkin High School in his Texas hometown, Polk decided to stay in his home state to start his college career. He committed to Texas Tech, where he appeared in 10 games with seven starts during his 2021 freshman campaign. Despite catching 28 passes for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Polk transferred to the University of Washington the following spring.
He was limited to just three games in his first season as a Husky, eventually redshirting due to a collarbone injury. From 2022 on, however, he became a heavily-featured member of the school’s wide receiver rotation: after catching 41 passes for 694 yards and six scores that year, he set career highs in receptions (69), receiving yards (1,159) and touchdowns (9) as a junior in 2023.
Even though he still had a year of eligibility left, Polk decided to leave school early and join several of his teammates in the NFL Draft. The Patriots selected him 37th overall in the second round, as noted above, but he had a quiet rookie season that ended with only 12 catches, 87 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Scouting report
Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Polk offers good size and combines it with a solid athletic makeup. He releases quickly off the line of scrimmage, and uses his feet efficiently and without many wasted steps to create instant separation against press-man coverage. A natural hands catcher, he is good at executing cuts to work back to the ball and early on during his rookie campaign showed some good concentration and hand-eye coordination — a continuation from his college career, when he impressed in contested catch situations and as a sure-handed receiver.
Weaknesses: Polk isn’t a true burner at wide receiver and lacks the speed to become a true yards after catch threat. His relatively pedestrian straight-line speed allows man corners to latch onto him and get physical through the stem of his route; he needs to get better fighting off contact at this phase. Against zone, he needs to improve his general awareness and spacial recognition relative to the coverage. While only credited with two drops during his rookie season, Polk’s confidence seemingly took a hit early on leading to some snowballing mental errors.
2024 review
Stats: 15 games (7 starts) | 436 offensive snaps (39.9%), 9 special teams snaps (2.1%) | 31 targets, 12 catches (38.7%), 87 yards, 2 TDs | 1 carry, 0 yards | 2 drops (6.5%), 4 penalties
Season recap: Entering the Patriots as a high draft pick, Polk was given immediate chances to adjust to life in the NFL and within New England’s offense. He saw prominent practice reps with the starters both during the offseason and in training camp, and despite getting a lot thrown at him was one of the most consistent receivers on the team throughout the summer.
Polk looked poised to become the Patriots’ starting Z-receiver at that point, and indeed played a big part on offense early on in 2024. However, his season-long role turned out to be a) more diverse, and b) far less impactful.
The young wideout was used off the ball a fair bit, but also ended up seeing a significant chunk of his snaps as an X-receiver — a role that did not particularly suit his skillset coming out of college. He still showed some early promise, though, getting open quite often while steadily increasing his playing time share.
However, the ball struggled to find Polk and he himself failed to capitalize on his opportunities when they came.
The breaking point seems to have come in Week 5, when he was unable to get both feet down in bounds on what would have been a potential game-winning touchdown against the Miami Dolphins. From that point on, his mistakes seemed to increase while both his confidence and, by extension, his playing time and production moved in the opposite direction.
After catching nine passes for 74 yards and a touchdown over the first five weeks of the season, he had only three more receptions for 13 yards and another score from Week 6 on. His playing time dropped from 69.6 percent to 33.8 percent before a shoulder injury prompted the team to move him to injured reserve leading up to the season finale.
Needless to say, Polk’s rookie campaign was a disappointment. But even so, not all was as bad as the eye test or the numbers suggest; he still had some encouraging moments all throughout the season — moments to build on heading into 2025.
On Maye’s scramble, the QB likely hits Polk if Jacobs forces a longer path to the QB by blocking inside-out
Nice awareness from the rookie WR pointing out the blitzer and showing urgency in making himself available pic.twitter.com/lShbR3aJ16
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) November 26, 2024
2025 preview
Position: Rotational Z-WR | Ability: Fringe starter/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? The Patriots used Polk as an X/Z-receiver hybrid in 2024, but he projects best off the line as a pure Z. Whether or not Josh McDaniels will use him that way remains to be seen, but given the information overload he seemingly struggled with as a rookie it might be best to rebuild him from the ground and his most natural position up.
What is his growth potential? It may seem hard to believe based on his underwhelming first NFL season, but Polk was a high draft pick for a reason just a year ago. His growth potential relative to his production in 2024 is therefore significant. Will he ever be a true No. 1 or a go-to volume target? Maybe not, but he has the skillset to develop into a quality WR2 if he is able to close the book on his rookie season and regain the confidence he showcased at Washington.
Does he have positional versatility? The Patriots opted to use Polk in a variety of roles in 2024, but that usage might have contributed to his eventual struggles. EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf claimed earlier this of offseason that “organizationally, we maybe put too much on his plate early” and that the team “kind of stunted his growth a little bit.” So, while Polk does have theoretical versatility, a simpler approach might be in the cards for him in 2025.
What is his salary cap situation? Entering the second season of his rookie contract, Polk is counting $2.203 million against the Patriots’ cap. That number consists of a $1.236 million salary and $967,681 signing bonus proration — both of which fully guaranteed. Due to the structure of his deal, releasing the sophomore receiver would result in a $4.5 million dead cap charge as well as a net salary cap loss of almost $3.3 million.
How safe is his roster spot? Given his untapped potential, draft status and contract configuration, the Patriots moving on from Polk via release seems highly unlikely. That does not mean he will be on the roster or play a prominent role in 2025, though. Realistically, there are only two scenarios: he either makes the team as a rotational member of the wide receiver room, or he gets traded no later than the cutdown deadline. Both options seem similarly likely at the moment and considering the composition of New England’s wide receiver depth chart — especially if he fails to overcome the issues that plagued him last year.
Summary: There is no denying that Polk is already under some pressure heading into Year 2. Not only did he fall short of expectation as a rookie, he also finds himself in a crowded receiver room that saw the likes of Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams added as potential Z/X options to compete with him for practice reps and playing time. Is Polk a lost cause, though? Not yet, but he will need to start bouncing back quickly and decisively.
What do you think about Ja’Lynn Polk heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.