What picking Ja’Lynn Polk in the NFL Draft means for the Patriots

The Huskies product landed in the second round at No. 37 overall.

The war room in Foxborough did not take long to move on Friday night.

As the 2024 NFL draft turned to the second round, the New England Patriots turned to wide receiver, selecting Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk at No. 37 overall following a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Here’s an initial look into why and what’s ahead.

Versatile, vertical tracker with career average of 15.6 yards per reception

Polk aligned inside and outside during his collegiate career, catching 143 passes for 2,231 yards and 18 touchdowns across 41 games and 30 starts.

The former transfer from Texas Tech redshirted during his initial campaign at Washington after sustaining a dislocated clavicle in the opener and returning before the finale. Six scores followed in 2022. And last fall, so did new marks across the board with 69 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine visits to the end zone with Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback.

A rushing touchdown arrived along the way for Polk, who saw 735 offensive snaps in the slot while a member of the Huskies. At 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, the Jakobi Meyers comparison had been made during the pre-draft process. He carries the size and strength to factor in on the perimeter, across the middle and above the rim.

Building capital and familiarity

There were options to sort through in the gap between Thursday and Friday. Only an AFC East rival initially stood ahead of the Patriots in the second round, and that standing became Florida State wideout Keon Coleman at No. 33 overall after the Buffalo Bills traded back twice. Georgia wideout Ladd McConkey subsequently went at No. 34.

By moving down three draft slots, New England turned capital in the fifth round into capital in the fourth round.

And from there, organization turned in the card for a 22-year-old target with familiarity on staff. Wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes, who made his way back to the Patriots in February, worked with Polk at Washington in 2023 en route to an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Supporting cast for a rookie quarterback

“We need to add some weapons to the offense,” Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf said Thursday night. “We need to shore up the offensive line. We have good players already at those positions but really just increasing the depth and the competition.”

The selection of North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No. 3 was followed by help for the rookie quarterback. Polk ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, adding a 37 1/2-inch vertical and 10-foot-9 broad jump while in Indianapolis. But while not a top-end accelerator, his experience, toughness and hands put him on track for an early role. A career-best 90.2 receiving grade on throws of 20-plus yards arrived before the redshirt junior declared for the draft, per Pro Football Focus.

New England’s wide receiver depth chart now stands at 10. It also includes Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, T.J. Luther and Kawaan Baker.