Tag: Ja’Lynn Polk

Instant analysis of Patriots selecting WR Ja’Lynn Polk with No. 37 pick

The Patriots land a legitimate outside receiving target with Ja’Lynn Polk

After using their first-round draft pick on quarterback Drake Maye, the New England Patriots didn’t waste any time getting him a solid offensive weapon in Washington wideout Ja’Lynn Polk.

There was some thinking that the team would consider taking Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell with the pick, but they opted for the big-bodied former Husky, who made contested catches look routine in college.

Polk is exactly the kind of playmaker the team needed outside the numbers to give Maye an opportunity to stretch the field. No, he isn’t a burner on the outside. So this isn’t the case of a receiver who’s capable of blowing the top off a defense.

What Polk lacks in speed he more than makes up for it with his physicality. He’s a hard-nosed receiver who relishes in contested catch situations and tends to come out on top. In many ways, his ability to win jump-ball situations is what the Patriots have been waiting to see from Tyquan Thornton.

Polk exploded in his final year at Washington with 69 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. However, those numbers came when playing opposite of first-round pick Rome Odunze.

We’ll see if Polk can break out on his own in a Patriots offense that desperately needed someone with his skill set.

Patriots NFL Draft grade: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington 37th overall

NFL Draft grade for the New England Patriots selecting Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk

After a trade down the New England Patriots added a weapon to try and help out their new franchise quarterback with the selection of Washington receiver Ja’Lynn Polk with the 37th overall pick.

Polk projects as an immediate starter in a receiver room that ranks among the worst across the league and he should start outside opposite of their established veteran Kendrick Bourne.

A big and physical receiver that player opposite of Rome Odunze, Polk proved to be almost as unstoppable as his counterpart in the explosive Washington offense. Polk could walk away from his rookie season as the leading receiver for the Patriots.

Grade: B-

Patriots select WR Ja’Lynn Polk with No. 37 pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Patriots got their receiver

The New England Patriots got their receiver.

After trading down from No. 34 overall, the Patriots came back up on the clock and selected Washington receiver Ja’Lynn Polk with the No. 37 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Polk should add a boost to the Patriots’ ability to work outside the numbers due to his size and ability to consistently win in contested catch situations. It should be noted that Texas’ Adonai Mitchell was still on the draft board when this pick was made, which should raise some eyebrows.

However, Polk’s big-play ability was probably intriguing for the Patriots, particularly with rookie quarterback Drake Maye under center.

Maye’s deep balls are phenomenal, and the Patriots lacked the receiving weapons capable of stretching the field. DeVante Parker was the team’s deep threat receiver last season, but he has since been released and signed by the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Tyquan Thornton still struggling to break out, the Patriots needed a big receiving target to keep defenses honest. Hopefully, Polk can be that player for them.

Saints pick a couple of Washington Huskies in this 2024 mock draft

The Saints picked a couple of Washington Huskies college teammates in this 2024 mock draft, addressing two of their top needs:

We’ll start with the bad news: it’s tough to glean much from a four-round mock draft when the New Orleans Saints only own two picks. Out of the first 135 selections in the 2024 draft, just two belong to the black and gold (at Nos. 14 and 45). A series of trades by general manager Mickey Loomis has cost the team a lot of draft capital, and they don’t have much to show for it.

Now let’s focus on the good news. The Saints can still come away with two impactful players with these two picks. That’s what happened in this four-round mock draft from Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy. And each player happened to come from the same school: the Washington Huskies.

In the first round, at No. 14, Popejoy has the Saints picking Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu. Popejoy alluded to Fautanu’s versatility, writing: “We love Troy Fautanu’s ability to play any spot on the offensive line.”

While he put up dominant tape at left tackle for Washington and excelled in the same outside zone-heavy running game that Klint Kubiak is installing with the Saints, some analysts feel his talents would be best employed at guard. If there’s any hope of Trevor Penning winning the starting job at left tackle, drafting a versatile blocker like Fautanu would allow the Saints to field their five best linemen.

What about the second round of this projection? Popejoy went back to Washington and picked wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk for the Saints at No. 45. He isn’t as big as other wideouts in this class but he plays bigger than his frame (6-foot-1, 203 pounds with 32-inch arms) and wins on a lot of contested catches. He can make some nice moves with the ball in his hands, too. He’d provide a nice counterpunch to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed while leaving room for someone like A.T. Perry to carve out a niche in the offense.

It’s uncommon to see teams pick college teammates in the same draft class like this. Since the team was founded in 1967, the Saints have done it 31 times, and six times during Mickey Loomis’ run as general manager. So it’s more likely than you’d think.

What about the rest of this mock draft? The Saints don’t have any picks in the third or fourth rounds, but a trade or two is a very real possibility. They own four selections in the fifth round and two in the sixth, and New Orleans should definitely be seen as a team that could package some of those picks together to move up into an earlier frame.

If talented prospects slide down a bit, as happened in this mock draft with Western Michigan defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland (who fell to No. 76), western Kentucky slot receiver Malachi Corley (No. 85), Boston College left guard Christian Mahogany (No. 92), LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith (No. 108), or Texas right tackle Christian Jones (No. 119), fans shouldn’t be shocked if Loomis cuts a deal to go get them.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Mock draft watch: Breaking down the Lions haul in The Athletic’s 7-round projections

Mock draft watch: Breaking down the Lions haul in The Athletic’s 7-round projections from Dane Brugler

The latest projections from longtime NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler from The Athletic are now out, and it’s a massive undertaking. Brugler projected all seven rounds in his latest mock draft.

For the Detroit Lions, Brugler projected a trade out of the first round. This mock draft has the Las Vegas Raiders moving up to No. 29 and sending the Lions No. 44 and No. 77 overall so the Raiders can snag Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

[lawrence-related id=105629]

That leaves Detroit with two second-round picks and two more in the third. The Day 2 picks focus on most of the team’s primary needs.

Brugler’s final haul for Detroit:

2 (44). Zach Frazier, G/C, West Virginia
2 (61). Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
3 (73). Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
3 (77). Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest
5 (164). Braiden McGregor, Edge, Michigan
6 (201). Will Reichard, K, Alabama
6 (205). Sione Vaki, S, Utah
7 (249). Johnny Dixon, CB, Penn State

A lot of those names should look familiar for Lions fans. Frazier, Fiske and Polk have all been common second-round names in recent Detroit projections. Selecting a kicker in the sixth would surely be a debatable point in the fanbase, as would ignoring the giant hole at offensive tackle behind starters Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell–especially in light of Decker’s recent foot surgeries (yes, plural).

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

None of the players selected here would be projected to start in 2024, a prevailing theme for Detroit’s championship-caliber roster.

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: WR Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington

Polk worked his way up to starting in the 2023 National Championship

Ja’Lynn Polk committed to Texas Tech as a freshman but was just a part of a revolving committee for wide receivers and transferred to Washington the next year. He injured his clavicle on his first play and missed nine games, while Rome Odunze (41-415-3) and Jalen McMillen (39-470-3) were the top receivers.

In 2022, Michael Penix Jr. took over as the starting quarterback and the Husky passing offense instantly flourished. While both Odunze and  McMillen were still the top receivers, Polk started to exert his potential with 41 catches for 694 yards and six scores.

Polk finally came into his own as a senior, logging 69 catches for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. That was still second to Odunze (92-1,640-13), but Polk overtook McMillen as the No. 2 receiver in Washington’s high-powered passing offense that reached the National Championship.

Height: 6-1
Weight: 203 pounds
40 time: 4.52 seconds

Along with the rest of the Huskies’ passing offense, Polk enters the NFL draft and is expected to be a Day 2 selection.

Table: Ja’Lynn Polk NCAA stats (2020-23)

Year School Games Catch Yards Avg. TD Rush Yards TD
2020 Texas Tech 10 28 264 9.4 2 0 0 0
2021 Washington 3 5 114 22.8 1 0 0 0
2022 Washington 13 41 694 16.9 6 1 15 0
2023 Washington 15 69 1159 16.8 9 4 32 1
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Pros

  • Versatile and equally effective in the slot or on the outside.
  • Big-play receiver with a 17.1 YPC on his 115 catches with the Huskies
  • Large catch radius along with top ball-tracking skills
  • Precise route runner who consistently tacks on extra yards after the  catch
  • While slender in build, has the strength and size to compete for the ball and superior hands that will not drop or fumble

Cons

  • Occasional lapses in concentration
  • Needs more experience in expanding route tree and competing against press coverage after playing as one of several talented receivers in a pass-heavy offense
  • Marginal blocker

Fantasy Outlook

Polk is a natural receiver that has responded well when given a higher volume of targets. He can fit into any offense in any receiving role, and while he may not be truly elite in any single area so far, he’s very good in everything and has no real weaknesses. If he lands in a pass-heavy offense, he is at his best when facing man coverage.

He’s big enough to be a red-zone weapon, fast and strong enough to do damage from anywhere on the field. A lack of top-end speed may limit him from being a common deep threat but Polk is a solid target with burst and strength.

He’s like a Round 2 selection which means he’ll end up with a team looking to add him immediately into the receiving equation. He’s potentially linked to the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, and New England Patriots. If the Cards skip on taking Marvin Harrison Jr. with their first-round pick, Polk is a likely option and would land him in an offense with an above-average quarterback.

Polk may never be a Top-10 fantasy wideout, but he brings plenty of talent and upside to any NFL team and should become a fantasy starter if only eventually.

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 51, Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Washington receiver Ja’Lynn Polk.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Bo Melton. Those five wide receivers are all but locks to be on the Week 1 roster for the Green Bay Packers. 

With those five youngsters in place, the Packers no longer have a pressing need to add talent to that room. If they were to spend another Top 100 pick on the position it would be a rich get richer selection. 

The 2024 NFL Draft class boasts a talented and deep wide receiver class. There could be three wide receivers selected in the Top 10 and up to 21 taken in the first three rounds. There is a chance that Brian Gutekunst may want to get in on the action to give Jordan Love another young weapon. 

If that’s the case, a player that Gutekunst could target in the second round is Ja’Lynn Polk. The University of Washington wide receiver checks in at No. 51 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

A Texas Tech transfer, Polk reeled in seven receiving touchdowns during his first two seasons at Washington. With Jalen McMillan missing time due to injury this past season, Polk enjoyed a breakout campaign, recording 69 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. The Texas native also scored a rushing touchdown. 

“After spending a lot of time in the slot and as a third option, it was very exciting to watch him step into a big role,” Roman Tomashoff, the editor for UWHuskieswire, said. “He was already known as a reliable pass catcher but rose to the occasion whenever he was called on but got to display a little bit more of his versatility on the outside after Jalen McMillan went down.”

Polk turns 50-50 balls into 80-20 balls. He climbs the ladder and attacks the ball at its highest point. He has outstanding body control and can adjust mid-air. Polk tracks the ball well over his shoulder. The Washington wide receiver has sticky hands and has no issue making catches in traffic. 

“Ja’Lynn Polk might have the strongest hands in the draft,” Tomashoff said. “He catches everything thrown his way and with some of the athletic grabs he’s made, it looks like he has magnets in his hands at times.”

Polk runs hard with the ball in his hands and has the strength to break through initial contact to create YAC. Once he breaks away he has the burst to pull away from defenders. According to PFF, Polk picked up 356 yards after the catch this past season. With his size, strength and quickness, there is a chance that there is some untapped YAC potential.

“He’s not the biggest YAC receiver you’ve ever seen, but what makes him dangerous is that he has no fear,” Tomashoff said. “He knows he’ll take a big hit sometimes and just doesn’t care, he’ll make a big play and pop right back up even after getting laid out.”

The Texas native has efficient footwork to get a clean release. He’s physical and doesn’t get his timing disrupted. Polk does a good job of selling double moves to create separation downfield and finished this past season with 14 deep catches (PFF). 

“I would say that he’s an above-average route runner,” Tomashoff said. “He’s not the most fluid, but he certainly does a very good job with his feet and creating clean releases off the line.”

Fit with the Packers

The Packers have a rich history of drafting wide receivers on Day 2 of the NFL Draft and turning them into studs. Polk could be the next in line.

With his ability to go up and snare the pigskin, Polk could provide another dimension to what’s an already talented wide receiver room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. 

‘He’s a very reliable, high-floor player,” Tomashoff said. “While he’s not the athlete that some of his teammates are, he’s a reliable pass catcher who can thrive in the slot and be a trustworthy security blanket for a quarterback.”

Polk has sticky hands and proved to be a reliable, dynamic playmaker for the explosive Washington offense this past season. The Washington wide receiver would provide Matt LaFleur another weapon to toy with and his presence could be the final touch on Green Bay’s talented wide receiver room remodel. 

 

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Trades for QBs shake up Round 1; Ravens retool offensive line

We’re looking at an updated three round NFL mock draft for all 32 teams after the first wave of free agency

The Ravens are still in the crux of a potential Super Bowl window. Still, they’ll look drastically different on both sides of the football after undergoing massive changes to player personnel and the coaching staff. Eric DeCosta started the off-season with urgency, signing Justin Madubuike, one of the league’s best defensive linemen, to an extension. After inking Madubuike to a deal, Baltimore seemed to win the first wave of the free agency period after getting Derrick Henry for two years and $16 million. The talented running back could earn $20 million throughout the deal. All wasn’t perfect, as the Ravens suffered significant free-agent losses. Patrick Queen (Steelers), Geno Stone (Bengals), and Gus Edwards (Chargers) were among eight free agents to sign elsewhere. Baltimore also traded Morgan Moses to the Jets and released Tyus Bowser in a cost-cutting move. With the second wave of free agency set to begin, we’re looking at an updated three-round mock draft.

Texas WRs currently co-favorites for Panthers’ 33rd overall pick

Will the Panthers hook in a Texas WR with their first pick of the 2024 draft?

The Carolina Panthers might be looking deep in the heart of Texas with this year’s 33rd overall pick.

BetCarolina.com released a fresh set of odds for the team’s first selection of the 2024 NFL draft. Sharing the top spot are University of Texas wideouts Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, who were also two of the brightest stars of the scouting combine.

Analyst Steve Bittenbender wrties:

It would likely be an upset if the Panthers did not pick a receiver when they kick off the second round of the NFL Draft. Who that receiver will be is more uncertain, although Xavier Worthy might have just secured a first-round draft slot after his record-setting 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. If Adonai Mitchell is still available, he’ll likely be the favorite, with Ladd McConkey a potential fallback pick.

Worthy came away with, perhaps, the biggest win of the weekend—posting a record-breaking 40-yard dash of 4.21 seconds. Mitchell wasn’t far behind, clocking his at a blazing 4.34 seconds.

Their complete odds for the 33rd pick are as follows:

  • Mitchell/Worthy: +600 (14.3-percent chance)
  • McConkey: +900 (10 percent)
  • West Virginia C Zach Frazier: +900 (10 percent)
  • Oregon WR Troy Franklin: +1200 (7.7 percent)
  • Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk: +1200 (7.7 percent)
  • Other: +175 (36.4 percent)

[lawrence-related id=692379,692325,692284]

2024 NFL combine: Nine receiver prospects detail their favorite college plays

2024 Scouting Combine: Nine receiver prospects detail their favorite college plays (via @NFL_DougFarrar):

INDIANAPOLIS — Unless you are somehow able to gain access to one of the rooms in which NFL teams meet with draft prospects during the week of the scouting combine, there’s no way to know what’s really discussed. One thing that is almost always happens is a tape-watching expedition in which the NFL people will have play examples dialed up that hopefully show what the prospects can do.

Here at Touchdown Wire, we do not possess the required juice to crash those rooms, but we are able to ask these prospects during their combine media sessions which plays from their college careers best typify their potential.

We’ve already done this with five quarterbacks, six tight ends and seven cornerbacks here at the combine, and now, it’s time to get into the favorite plays of nine receiver prospects of all shapes, sizes, and talents.

The full lineup:

  • Washington’s Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk
  • Alabama’s Jermaine Burton
  • Tulane’s Jha’Quan Jackson
  • Florida State’s Johnny Wilson
  • Pitt’s Bub Means
  • Michigan’s Roman Wilson
  • South Carolina’s Xavier Legette
  • Texas’ Jordan Whittington