R2/37 Ja’Lynn Polk WR Washington
- Thread starter DJnVa
- Start date
Love this pick. I will be shocked if he isn't an impact player beloved by all Pats fans within a few games of suiting up.
He makes some tough contested catches.
He makes some tough contested catches.
Reminds me of Romeo Doubs, high floor low ceiling player which this team certainly needs. I would have much preferred Ladd who has more short area quickness and suddenness to his game. My concern with Polk is that he generally plays at one speed, not a lot of different pace to his routes. Will catch the ball over the middle though.
Feels like he has the potential to be the kind of guy for Maye to eventually lean on and build a ton of chemistry with.
I'm shocked that idiots on the internet haven't done due diligence before unleashing HOTTAKEZ!!!!
His tape is loaded with him making Penix look good, he catches ANYTHING near him. I think he could be Maye's Josh Downs in the pros. He really missed that guy who could be trusted to find his spot then snatch the ball.
Nothing alike from what I saw and I watched a lot of UW this past season. As for former Pats he feels more like Jules than Harry.
This feels right. He may well be one of the most important factors in Maye's development.
Lazar has him as a crafty very good route runner, who catches EVERYTHING, and is nothing like N'Keal Harry.
I know fit comes into play when people get upset about picks, but I just want a guy who can make plays, and Polk seems quite capable.
Both were contested catch monsters who tracked the ball great in college and used their bodies to position for catches, while lacking top speed explosiveness.
Neither are as big, but both have been compared to Allen Robinson coming into their respective drafts. A lot to like about Polk, but I dont see him stretching the field. We'll see, I just have bad memories and hope he can wipe them away.
People who actually know stuff, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t he really strong over the middle whereas: 1) Harry was intended to be a boundary guy; and 2) more importantly, Maye is particularly good over the intermediate to lone long middle?
If so, this sounds less like Harry and more like getting the peanut butter stuck in the chocolate.
I won't honor Rocco here - u only use that once - but knowing what you value in competitors, I think you will be a massive Polk fan. He plays so tough.
Maybe I am wrong - its not logworthy - but I will be floored if JP isn't a playmaker for the Pats over the next few years.
I actually like Polk a lot. He goes after the ball and has incredible instincts when the ball is in the air. Like I said, it's really just PTSD. The margin is so small to be great when you don't have elite speed in today's NFL, buts it's obviously possible as we've seen with guys like Adams and Nacua, etc. It's just a tougher hill to climb, because those skills when the ball is in the air work a lot better in the PAC 12 than they do in the NFL.
I will stop here but I was thinking of Adams as a comp and Puka works too though I won't argue he will be as good as either of them.
Juju? Osborn? Douglas? Maybe even Bourne?
He can play outside or in, he's got good size, etc.
He'll get the chance to compete with everyone, it's not like anyone on the roster is guaranteed snaps.
Depends on what he earns, but I’d imagine he could push any of them. I don’t think he’s relegated to the Z, and he’s not a pure slot.
JuJu? Thornton?
Who is clearly ahead of him on the depth chart? Bourne and Douglas? Maybe Osborn?
If he can’t find playing time on this roster pretty quickly than it will be a pretty bad sign.
I think both can line up in different spots. More importantly, Wolf says that in Green Bay they din't really focus on X, Z, etc..., but rather more on finding good wide receivers. That worked exceedingly well in GB. Hope this has a similar result.
It's really silly that people are claiming Polk was "clearly" a reach at #37 when there have been plenty of reports of the league liking him more than the mock industrial complex - and others saying there's no way he gets out of the second round.
Seems like a good, capable, 2nd round-talent version of Jakobi, a Keenan Allen type, etc... He's not N'Keal Harry. He can run routes, for one.
It's really silly that people are claiming Polk was "clearly" a reach at #37 when there have been plenty of reports of the league liking him more than the mock industrial complex - and others saying there's no way he gets out of the second round.
Seems like a good, capable, 2nd round-talent version of Jakobi, a Keenan Allen type, etc... He's not N'Keal Harry. He can run routes, for one.
I thought the tv guy said Steve Smith and I got excited.
But he actually said, “Steve Smith said Pollk reminded him of TJ Houshmandzadeh”, and I was like “huh, okay”.
Then he said, “Really effective across a true #1 receiver”. And I was like, “well, shit”.
But he actually said, “Steve Smith said Pollk reminded him of TJ Houshmandzadeh”, and I was like “huh, okay”.
Then he said, “Really effective across a true #1 receiver”. And I was like, “well, shit”.
This is ballsy move to take a lower ranked guy, that many say will have trouble getting open. If this works out it could be a signature pick for the new regime.
Yeah, FWIW, PFF thought Polk was an ideal pick and a perfect partner for Maye (a QB with some accuracy issues, a WR who catches everything).
Who is on the current roster?
- Bourne, coming back from ACL, may take some time to get back to his peak effectiveness. (Welker's worst year as a Pat came the first year he was coming back from ACL). Probably not an every snap guy,
- Osborn. Was a third WR behind 2 very good ones, played about 2/3 of snaps. Probably slated for similar duty here.
- Smith-Schuster. A huge question mark if ever there was one.
- Douglas. An NFL caliber guy for sure, but small and had a couple of concussions. Probably not durable enough to be an every down player.
- Thornton. Injury prone and has yet to establish himself after 2 years. If he can be counted on for anything at this point, it is probably some type of situational usage.
On the Ringer NFL draft podcast they were pretty positive on the Polk pick. Talked a little bit about how adept he is at reading zone coverage and finding open spots, in addition to his route running ability and hands. Said he just does everything well.
I've been critical of the Polk pick, but I don't want to re hash this here.
Who do Polk bulls think he comps to in the NFL? I've seen comps to Romeo Doubs, Josh Reynolds and Davante Parker, none of whom excite me, but I would love to see the upside
Who do Polk bulls think he comps to in the NFL? I've seen comps to Romeo Doubs, Josh Reynolds and Davante Parker, none of whom excite me, but I would love to see the upside
There was a post that showed his 40 and splits and they were basically identical to Aiyuk. That's one name.
http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/2024-nfl-draft-2nd-and-3rd-round-gamethread-baruch-atah-adonai-with-spoilers.42499/post-6096287
Better RAS than Aiyuk
View: https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1764063130219368903?lang=en
Maye's security blanket that catches everything near him. Exactly what a growing boy (QB) needs.
Most common comps are:
RObert Woods- (Nate Tice and Kyle Yates both used it)
Chris Godwin (PFF guys)
TJ Houshmanzadeh (Steve Smith)
Puka Nakua (obviously not expecting rookie records though) (Harmon, Schultz)
I've also seen Souped up Jakobi Meyers a few places but I think that has been mostly a post-Patriots drafting him comp.
So most of those are high end 2 low end 1 type guys (800-1100 yards?) how catch everything have some juice but not long speed, tough and block well.
Pass catchers before draft:
WR Bourne, JuJu, Thornton, Osborn, Boutte, Reagor
TE Henry, Hooper, Wilcox
Pass catchers after draft:
WR Bourne, JuJu, Thornton, Osborn, Boutte, Reagor, Polk, Baker
TE Henry, Hooper, Wilcox, Bell, Warren
Unless all the new guys suck, this is a pretty seriously upgraded group on the whole.
Pass throwers before draft (well, at end of last season):
QB Mac, Zappe
Pass throwers after draft:
QB Maye, Brissett, Milton, Zappe
This is a much improved QB room too, even if Maye turns out to be no good. Brissett alone helps. If Maye is even close to what he could be, this is a massive improvement at QB.
WR Bourne, JuJu, Thornton, Osborn, Boutte, Reagor
TE Henry, Hooper, Wilcox
Pass catchers after draft:
WR Bourne, JuJu, Thornton, Osborn, Boutte, Reagor, Polk, Baker
TE Henry, Hooper, Wilcox, Bell, Warren
Unless all the new guys suck, this is a pretty seriously upgraded group on the whole.
Pass throwers before draft (well, at end of last season):
QB Mac, Zappe
Pass throwers after draft:
QB Maye, Brissett, Milton, Zappe
This is a much improved QB room too, even if Maye turns out to be no good. Brissett alone helps. If Maye is even close to what he could be, this is a massive improvement at QB.
The zone stuff is interesting because when I saw him vs Cal I noticed he was settling high in the triangle. And he can drift. I thought he had an inconsistent feel vs zone.
The reason I felt Polk was a bit of a reach at 37 is not just because of where he was vs consensus (considered more of later vs earlier 2nd) but also because he is a later breakout age guy, 21.4 years old. The hit rate for senior WRs who breakout late isn’t great (it’s something like 12-25% hit rate days 1-2). Especially not good for those who win by bullying smaller younger corners. The draft is a risk mitigation exercise in a lot of ways and Polk’s profile carries more risk than you like. It’s harder to big boy NFL corners. Polk does not get ideal separation either. I like Polk. He’s the kind of receiver Maye needs. He very well might work out! But let’s take note of the risk profile too.
The reason I felt Polk was a bit of a reach at 37 is not just because of where he was vs consensus (considered more of later vs earlier 2nd) but also because he is a later breakout age guy, 21.4 years old. The hit rate for senior WRs who breakout late isn’t great (it’s something like 12-25% hit rate days 1-2). Especially not good for those who win by bullying smaller younger corners. The draft is a risk mitigation exercise in a lot of ways and Polk’s profile carries more risk than you like. It’s harder to big boy NFL corners. Polk does not get ideal separation either. I like Polk. He’s the kind of receiver Maye needs. He very well might work out! But let’s take note of the risk profile too.
Athletic testing is about the 4th or 5th most important thing when it comes to WRs because it lacks all context. Aiyuk was a far better route runner coming out of ASU and has much better suddenness to his game. So long as a WR runs a 4.6 or lower speed won't be the issue. Can they run routes, understand how to manipulate defense and play through contact are way more important than an extra .15 on their 40 time.There was a post that showed his 40 and splits and they were basically identical to Aiyuk. That's one name.
http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/2024-nfl-draft-2nd-and-3rd-round-gamethread-baruch-atah-adonai-with-spoilers.42499/post-6096287
Better RAS than Aiyuk
View: https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1764063130219368903?lang=en
I think size and speed at X matter depending on what you are looking for. Are you looking for someone that can consistently beat press with size or someone that can take the top off with speed. I don't think you need both. Mike Evans tested almost exactly to what Johnny Wilson did at very similar size. One went in the 1st and one went in the 6th. Measurables only matter so much.
