On the second night of the 2024 NFL Draft, Ja’Lynn Polk was taken four picks ahead of where the New Orleans Saints jumped up to grab cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. The Saints had been infatuated with the wide receiver, but when he was suddenly gone, they made a move to ensure they wouldn’t miss out on another target they had really liked.

Still, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis never stopped being a fan of Polk. And so when the opportunity to acquire the wide receiver from the New England Patriots presented itself last summer, Loomis and the Saints weren’t going to miss out a second time — even knowing full well that the 23-year-old would miss the entire season because of a shoulder injury.

“We were definitely high on Ja’Lynn in that draft,” Loomis said last week. “I mean, we talked about taking him at certain points.”

Loomis said he made the deal, which cost only a late-round pick swap, with an “eye” toward the future.

But for the trade to ultimately be successful, Polk will have to show a lot more than he did in New England. The Patriots cast Polk aside just one year after a disastrous rookie season in which the wide receiver caught only 12 catches for 87 yards. He then fell out of favor with New England’s new coaching staff, which led the team to put him in trade talks.

But the Saints were hardly scared off by Polk’s rookie year. They acquired him in part because they thought a change of scenery could be good for him.

And as the two sides have gotten to know each other over the last few months, Polk has indeed seen his time in New Orleans as a fresh start — just as the franchise intended.

“I think it’s a clean slate, a good opportunity to be here, honestly, where I’m wanted,” Polk said. “That speaks volumes. Just coming here, being wanted, me going through my process and just seeing how hard these guys work week in and week out.

“I owe it to them to come here the moment I get to step on the field and be ready.”

Polk said the trade from New England didn’t catch him by surprise. Nothing about his first year went as planned, from his poor production to suffering the first of his two shoulder injuries near the end of the season. While he noted he has the “utmost respect” for the Patriots taking a chance on him, he said he was “excited” for a change.

Polk, too, said he embraced how challenging his rookie year turned out to be. He said he “put a lot of good things on tape and I also put a lot of bad things on tape,” and that he has been focused on studying how to improve.

“You’ve got to be able to find the positives while you’re going through the negatives,” he said. “I think all the negatives that I was going through has been motivating me into what I’m becoming today and what I have become.

“It’s just adding fuel to that fire, man.”

A player like Polk doesn’t get drafted 37th overall without talent. At the University of Washington, the wide receiver put together a strong final season with 69 catches for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. A scouting report from NFL.com praised Polk’s “consistent pace” in his routes and “strong hands,” while The Athletic noted he made himself a “sizable target” due to his 6-foot-1 frame and length.

It’ll be on the Saints to tap back into that skill set. Wide receivers coach Keith Williams said he’s been pleased with how Polk has attacked his rehab and with his participation in meetings throughout the year. New Orleans sees him as a key part of the room, alongside Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele — the latter of whom the Saints also acquired just before the season began.

“He’s real versatile,” Williams said of Polk. “He’s physical. He can catch. He’s smart. We interviewed him when he was coming out and I was impressed with him in the interview, and I was impressed obviously with him as a player.”

Polk said he sees his path to the Saints as a “full circle” moment. Not only could he tell the team had interest before the draft, but Polk also noted that one of his last games in college was the Sugar Bowl — when Washington prevailed 37-31 over Texas in the Caesars Superdome.

“I just miss being out there between those lines,” Polk said, “competing each and every. I’m excited.”