FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick thoughts and notes on the New England Patriots and the NFL:
1. Polk Hardness: The Patriots had been trying to make a trade until late in the first round of April's NFL draft, according to multiple NFL sources, when a number of receivers started coming off the board. Texas' Xavier Worthy went to the Chiefs at No. 28. Florida's Ricky Pearsall went to the 49ers at No. 31. South Carolina's Xavier Legette, quite possibly the Patriots' top target, was acquired by the Panthers in a trade up to No. 32. Then Florida State's Keon Coleman went to the Bills at No. 33 and Georgia's Ladd McConkey went to the Chargers at No. 34, and the Patriots moved that spot up to No. 37, where they took Washington's Ja'Lynn Polk.
That's six receivers in a span of 10 picks, and how Polk compares to his receiving peers will be one of the biggest factors determining the success of the franchise's first draft under executive vice president of player personnel Eliot's new regime. Wolf and Head Coach Jerod Mayo.
It's too early to tell what direction he'll take, but with the Patriots currently on a bye ahead of their first training camp practice on July 24, one thing can be said decisively about Polk's early work: His toughness and relentless mentality have been well-reflected in the culture Wolf and Mayo hope to create.
Perhaps the best example was the last play of mandatory minicamp: Fellow rookie quarterback Drake Maye threw a shoulder pass toward the right corner of the end zone, and the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Polk caught it. despite tight coverage by undrafted rookie cornerback Mikey Victor and maintained possession as he crashed to the ground, with officials marking him in bounds.
It was a great effort in one of the highest-risk situations of spring practice, and the defense's vocal reaction reflected it. Polk's play did not surprise those who had seen him since his days at Lufkin High School in Texas.
“One of the first things I saw in Ja’Lynn was how tough he was for a wide receiver — physical on fast breaks, physical at the line of scrimmage and he made competitive catches,” said Matt Wells, associate head coach at Kansas State and former Texas Tech head coach who hired Polk for his first college season before transferring to Washington. “I just thought the competitive spirit in him, for a junior in high school, was great.”
Wells noted that “toughness, discipline and accountability” were part of the DNA of many players in head coach Todd Quick’s program in Lufkin, including Polk. Lufkin is also the alma mater of former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant.
Rookie WR Ja'Lynn Polk arrives strong… image.twitter.com/iTz5jMzsPM
—Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 4, 2024
Polk transferred from Texas Tech after one season, in part because of changes on the offensive coaching staff, and brought the same approach to Washington. Last season was his most productive (totaling 69 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns) and first-year Patriots receivers coach Tyler Hughes saw it firsthand when he served as 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 great work ethic and a process that he sticks to every day. He's been good at that. I think his improvement is because he's learned our system and playbook and how his skill set fits into that,” Hughes said.
“Like any new player coming in, you have some things that you've done in the past that have worked out really well for you, and you have to take advantage of those, but also have an open mindset and say, 'What else can I do to get better?' because obviously the 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 on it every day.”
Polk has a chance to immediately carve out a niche in the Patriots' receiving corps. Among other things, his extra work with Maye after practice caused Mayo to refer to him as a “go-getter.”
Former Viking KJ Osborn, in his fifth NFL season, has established himself as one of the early leaders among the Patriots' receivers (case in point: he was usually first in drills). Second-year receiver DeMario Douglas looks as fast as ever. Add Polk and those 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 made plays at times this spring that served as a reminder that they can't be counted out just yet.
And Kendrick Bourne is expected to be healthy when he returns from a torn ACL, and should be part of the mix as well.
Polk, wearing the No. 1 jersey last worn by Cam Newton, gets a head start on practice. In one drill, he nearly put himself on a reporter's camera by running after a catch to the back of the end zone. Why stop the momentum when he's full speed ahead all the time?
“I just compete every day,” Polk said. “I feel like it's always in your preparation: how you take all the information we receive, how you are a professional and put it on the field consistently. That's what they're looking for.”
2. Hoyer's opinionFormer Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer was a guest on ESPN's “NFL Live” on Wednesday, and his presence sparked a discussion about the two hot topics surrounding New England: quarterback and head coach.
On when to start QB Maye: “Jacob” [Brissett] “He's like a little brother to me. We were teammates. We're friends. The Patriots signed Jacoby to be the starter right away, knowing they were drafting a quarterback with that pick, because he's capable and played a lot of football.” American. He's very endearing to his teammates; he's the perfect guy to be Drake Maye's mentor.”
In May“I played with Jerod. I came in a year after him and he was already a leader as a second-year player. He finished his career and went into the business world, so he's someone who can relate to this younger generation. Jerod comes in right after Bill. [Belichick] — he learned from Bill, but he's also bridging that gap with the younger guys. He has his own style and personality. Talking to some of the guys [with the team now]”They love the way he's approaching it. You just have to translate that into wins throughout the season.”
3. Mayonnaise Twist: One example of how Mayo is leaving his mark on the Patriots is the time they plan to practice at training camp: 11 a.m. Eastern time. Under Belichick, in the latter part of the season, the team practiced at 9:30 a.m. Maybe now there will be a little more time for meetings before practices and the temperatures will rise a bit and test the team's conditioning.
4. Bolden's Return: One of the scariest moments of the Patriots’ 2023 preseason came when then-rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden was immobilized and carted off the field in a game against the Packers, prompting the teams to end the game early. Bolden, a seventh-round draft pick out of Jackson State, had been diagnosed with a concussion and spent the season on injured reserve.
Bolden, back in top form after being cleared late last season, participated fully in spring practice and Mayo said: “He's one of our fastest players on the team. He should be a demon on special teams.”
As for potential contributions on defense, Mayo said it's harder to evaluate bigger cornerbacks like the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Bolden until the pads arrive in training camp. The same goes for the offensive line, which remains one of the team's biggest question marks.
5. Did you know? Polk was one of seven UW players selected in the first three rounds of the draft, which tied Michigan for the most picks. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the first time a Pac-12 school had at least a share of the most picks in three rounds since USC did it in 2009 (with six).
