Patriots player profile: Rookie Ja’Lynn Polk could make an early impact in 2024

Previewing the Patriots wide receiver heading into the 2024 NFL season.

The New England Patriots entered the NFL Draft with a definitive need at the wide receiver position. They invested in two prospects in the hope of addressing it, with the first of those selections coming at No. 37 overall in the second round: Ja’Lynn Polk from the University of Washington was brought aboard as a potential future weapon for first-round quarterback Drake Maye.

Will he develop into that? And what is his outlook heading into his rookie campaign? Let’s assess Polk in the latest installment of our player profile series.

Hard facts

Name: Ja’Lynn Polk

Position: Wide receiver

Opening day age: 22 (4/11/2002)

Size: 6’1”, 203 lbs

Jersey number: 1

Contract status: Unsigned draft pick

Experience

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 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. As noted above, the Patriots selected him 37th overall in the second round.

2023 review

Stats: 15 games (13 starts) | 832 offensive snaps, 26 special teams snaps | 108 targets, 69 receptions (63.9%), 1,159 receiving yards, 9 TDs | 4 carries, 32 rushing yards, 1 TD | 3 fumbles

Season recap: Coming off the most productive season of his college career, Polk retained his role as one of the Huskies’ top three wide receivers during his 2023 junior season. Seeing starter-level reps alongside Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, he was one of quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s favorite and most trustworthy targets.

The sure-handed wideout ended the year ranked second behind only Odunze in multiple statistical categories, including targets (108), catches (69), receiving yards (1,159), touchdowns (9). While he did benefit from McMillan missing four games due to a nagging knee injury, Polk proved himself viable No. 2 option for Washington.

He was able to do so not due to any elite athletic traits but rather a mix of versatility, ball skills, body control, savvy route running and a physical demeanor that allowed him to win in contested catch situations and contribute as a blocker in the running game. Add his football IQ especially versus zone looks as well as his ability to go over the middle of the field and you get a wide receiver whose production in 2023 did neither happen by accident nor solely because of talent around him.

His combination of skills made Polk a reliable player for Washington, and a productive one as well. Besides the statistics mentioned above, Polk also had seven games of more than 100 receiving yards, dropped only 5.5 percent of his targets (4 of 108), and additionally also contributed as a ball carrier: he gained 32 yards on four handoffs and found the end zone once.

Could he have benefitted from staying in school as a potential WR1 with both Odunze and McMillan off to the NFL? Possibly, but the 22-year-old left Washington off a good overall season — albeit one that did not end in a title, and saw him catch only four passes for 37 yards in the National Championship Game.

2024 preview

What will be his role? The aforementioned versatility will allow Polk to wear various hats within the Patriots offense, and he is likely to move around the formation quite a bit depending on the package and situation. He can play both inside and outside the formation, and could very well crack the starting lineup early on in his rookie season.

What is his growth potential? Polk does not possess a traditional No. 1 wide receiver skillset and will never fit the archetype associated with that oftentimes misused label. There are questions about his ceiling due to his comparatively average athleticism, but his strengths as a player and overall skillset are without a doubt intriguing and might lead to him producing at a WR1-like level in the future. The comparison to Jakobi Meyers is not 100 percent accurate, but he could very well turn into a similarly steady option.

Does he have positional versatility? The Huskies liked to move Polk around during his final season in college, and he ended up spending 60.7 percent of his snaps on the outside versus 36.8 percent in the slot. He also lined up in the backfield on occasion, and contributed on special teams (primarily on the punt return team). New England using him in a similar fashion would not come as a surprise.

What is his salary cap situation? Polk has yet to sign his rookie contract, but once he does he will put his signature under a standard four-year pact. As for the 2023 season, Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan projects him to carry a $1.76 million cap hit. It will consist of a $795,000 salary as well as a signing bonus proration of $967,681 — both of which fully guaranteed.

How safe is his roster spot? Given his draft status and potential, there is no doubt about Polk being on the Patriots’ roster come the regular season (unless dealing with an injury). The bigger question will be how much of an impact he will actually have, and what his role will look like within a pass catching corps that will also feature DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Javon Baker, and one or two additional wide receivers.

One-sentence projection: Polk will be a third option behind Douglas and Bourne, but nonetheless generate consistent production throughout his rookie campaign.

What do you think about Ja’Lynn Polk heading into the 2024 season? Will he quickly adapt to life in New England? Will he even be a starter-level contributor? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.