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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick thoughts and notes on the New England Patriots and the NFL:
1. Polk’s Tenacity: The Patriots have been trying to trade toward the end of the first round of April’s NFL draft, according to several NFL sources, when a run of receivers began to come off the board. Texas’ Xavier Worthy went to the Chiefs at 28. Florida’s Ricky Pearsall went to the 49ers at No. 31. South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, quite possibly the top target of the Patriots, was scooped up by the Panthers in a trade up to 32. Then Florida State’s Keon Coleman went to Bills at 33 and Georgia Ladd McConkey to the Chargers at 34, with the Patriots trading out of the spot for 37, where they took Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk.
The six receivers in the 10-pick span, and how Polk measures up against his fellow pass-catchers will be among the top factors that determine the success of the franchise’s first draft in the new regime of executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo.
It is too early to know the direction it will go, but as the Patriots are now on break before the first training camp training on July 24, one thing can be decisively stated about Polk’s early work: his tenacity and relentless mentality are also reflected in the culture. Wolf and Mayo hope to make it.
Perhaps no better example was the final play of mandatory minicamp: Fellow rookie quarterback Drake Maye lofted a back-shoulder fade into the right corner of the end zone, and the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Polk grabbed it despite tight coverage from the undrafted rookie cornerback. Mikey Victor and maintained possession when he collided with the ground, with the official ordering him to the border.
It was a great effort in one of the most high-profile spring training situations, with a vocal reaction from the defense reflecting that. Polk’s play came as a surprise to those who watched him back at Lufkin High School in Texas.
“One of the first things I saw in Ja’Lynn was how tough she was to spread — physical at the top of the break, physical at the line of scrimmage, and she made competitive catches,” said Matt Wells, associate head coach. The coach at Kansas State and former Texas Tech head coach who landed Polk as a recruit for his first college season before transferring to Washington. “I just think the competitive spirit in him — for a high school player as a junior — is an A-plus.”
Wells noted “toughness, discipline and responsibility” are part of the DNA of many players from head coach Todd Quick’s program at Lufkin — including Polk. Lufkin is also former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant’s alma mater.
Rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk comes in hot… pic.twitter.com/iTz5jMzsPM
– Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 4, 2024
Polk transferred from Texas Tech after one season, in part due to changes in the offensive coaching staff, and brought the same approach to Washington. Last season was his most productive — totaling 69 catches for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns — and first-year Patriots receivers coach Tyler Hughes saw that firsthand when he became an assistant coach on the Huskies’ staff. That has given Hughes a unique window into Polk’s transition to the NFL.
“He’s got a really good work ethic and the process he goes through every day. He’s been good at it. I think that improvement has come from learning our system and our playbook and how those skills fit together,” Hughes said.
“Like a new player coming in, you’ve got some things you’ve done in the past that’s worked well for you – you’ve got to use them – but also have an open approach and say, ‘What else can I do. Do I want to improve?’ because obviously the players are a little bit better and faster, they’ve done a good job of saying, ‘This is what I know, this is what I have to do,’ and they’re working on it every day.
Polk has a chance to carve a niche right away in the Patriots’ receiving corps. Extra work with Maye after training, among other things, has Mayo referring to him as “self-starter.”
Former Vikings KJ Osborn, in his fifth NFL season, has positioned himself as the early leader among Patriots receivers (example: usually first through practice). Second year slot receiver DeMario Douglas looks as fast as ever. Add in Polk, and that could be the team’s top three targets if everyone is healthy.
Fourth-round pick Javon Baker (Central Florida) should also have a roster spot, while 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, 2023 sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte and veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor all played this spring. as memories cannot be counted yet.
And Kendrick Bourne is expected to be healthy in his return from a torn ACL, and should be part of the mix, too.
Polk, wearing jersey No. In one drill, he almost threw himself into a reporter’s camera by running after a catch in the back of the end zone. Why stop the momentum when it’s all sideways?
“Just competing every day,” Polk said. “I think it all comes down to your preparation — how you take all the information we get, be professional, and put it on the field consistently. That’s what we’re looking for.”
2. take Hoyer: Former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer was a guest on ESPN’s “NFL Live” on Saturday, and his presence sparked a discussion on two hot topics around New England: quarterbacks and head coaches.
When starting QB Maye: “Jacoby (Brissett) is like a little brother to me. We are teammates. We are friends. The Patriots signed Jacoby as an immediate starter, knowing they drafted a quarterback with that pick, because he is capable and played a lot of football. He is very happy with his friends -his friend.
In Mayo: “I played with Jerod. I came a year after he did and he was already a leader as a second-year player. He ended his career and went into the corporate world, so he is someone who can relate to this young generation. Jerod came right after Bill (Belichick) – he learned from Bill, but he also attributed the gap to the youth he has approached, you just have to do this to win during the season.
3. Mayo twist: One example of how Mayo put his own stamp on the Patriots is the time he goes to practice in training camp – 11 a.m. ET. In Belichick’s last season, the team trained at 9:30 a.m. Maybe now there is a little more time for meetings before practice, and the temperature will rise a bit and test the team’s situation.
4. Bolden returns: One of the scariest moments of the Patriots’ 2023 preseason was when rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden couldn’t be moved and was dragged off the field in a game against the Packers, causing the team to end the game early. Bolden, a seventh-round pick out of Jackson State, has been diagnosed with a concussion and spent the season on injured reserve.
Healthy again after being sidelined at the end of last season, Bolden participated fully in spring practice, and Mayo noted: “He’s one of the fastest guys on the team. He should be a monster on special teams.”
As for his contribution to the defense, Mayo said it’s harder to assess a bigger corner like the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Bolden until the pads come in training camp. Ditto for the offensive line, which remains one of the team’s biggest question marks.
5. Did you know? Polk was one of seven University of Washington players selected in the first three rounds of the draft, tied for the most with Michigan. According to ESPN Stats & Information, this marks the first time a Pac-12 school has had at least a share of the most picks through three rounds since USC in 2009 (with six).
