Ja’Lynn Polk is fighting for a starting spot in New England

Second round pick Ja’Lynn Polk is making a name for himself with the New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots could have taken Ja’Lynn Polk with the No. 34 overall pick at the beginning of the second round of the 2024 NFL draft but opted to trade back three spots with the Los Angeles Chargers and let the former Washington star fall into their laps at pick No. 37.

Since then, Polk has established himself as one of the team’s best wide receivers through rookie minicamp and OTAs. Known for his relentlessness on the field and work ethic off it, Polk is in consideration for a starting spot in rookie head coach Jerod Mayo’s system during his first year.

In an interview with ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Polk credited his rise in his first NFL offseason to that work ethic that was always on display over his three years at Washington.

“Just competing every day,” he told Reiss. “I feel like everything is always in your preparation — how you’re taking all the information we’re getting, being a pro, and putting it on the field on a consistent basis. That’s what they’re looking for.”

Polk has spent a lot of time working with New England’s No. 3 overall pick, quarterback Drake Maye and has a crowded room full of veterans to fight through, but he should be in contention for at the very least a spot on the two-deep depth chart alongside JuJu Smith-Schuster, K.J. Osborn, DeMario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne.

He also has a former Husky staffer on his side in Tyler Hughes, who was hired as New England’s wide receivers coach after spending the 2023 season as an offensive quality control coach on Kalen DeBoer’s staff.

“He has a really great work ethic and a process that he sticks to every single day. He’s been good about that. I think his improvement has come from learning our system and playbook and how his skill set fits into that,” Hughes told Reiss.

“Like any new player coming in, you have some things you’ve done in your past that have been really good for you — you have to use those — but also have an open-minded approach and say, ‘What else can I do to improve?’ because obviously players are a little bit better and a little bit faster. He’s done a good job of saying, ‘This is what I know, this is what I need to work on,’ and he’s worked at it every day.”