Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, right, runs as Arizona cornerback Thaddeus Dixon defends on Sept. 30, 2023. Polk was selected with the 37th overall pick in the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
The Patriots got new quarterback Drake Maye an offensive weapon.
Then they got a big tackle to protect him.
New England traded down to No. 37 overall, then selected Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night in Detroit. The Patriots gave up picks No. 34 and No. 137 in return for the 37th and 110th picks.
Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace was a four-year starter for the Nittany Lions. He was selected No. 68 overall by the Patriots. Barry Reeger/Associated Press
Then with the No. 68 pick, the Patriots selected offensive tackle Caedan Wallace, a four-year starter at Penn State.
In essence, the Patriots moved back three spots in the second round to move up 27 spots from the fifth round to the fourth. The Patriots now hold picks Nos. 103, 110, 180 and 193 on Day 3.
Polk, who’s 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, caught 69 passes for 1,159 yards with nine touchdowns last season for the Huskies. He split his time between playing outside and in the slot in a receiving corps that included No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, a projected third-round pick.
He was asked what kind of player the Patriots are getting.
“They’re getting a beast, man,” Polk said. “A dude who loves football. Loves his teammates and is ready to build and come and be a great player, a very electric person, and go on to win games.”
Polk said he prides himself in putting in extra work and hopes to develop into a leader with the Patriots.
“I’m excited to show the world what I can do, again,” Polk said. “And help this team win some games.”
He also has an important connection to the Patriots, as their receivers coach, Tyler Hughes, worked as a quality control coach with Washington last season.
There’s a belief that Polk can play the “X” receiver position in the NFL, despite Odunze primarily playing that position at Washington. Polk isn’t a burner – he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine – but he otherwise tested well with a 37.5-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump.
Polk, 22, transferred from Texas Tech after his freshman year. He caught 143 passes for 2,231 yards with 18 touchdowns in four seasons.
Wallace, a right tackle for the Nittany Lions, stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 314 pounds. He appeared in 47 games at Penn State, starting 40 of them, and turned 24 years old earlier this month. He also has the ability to slide inside to guard if needed, but the Patriots have a void at left tackle after the departure of free agent Trent Brown.
New England resisted the urge to give up the No. 3 overall pick on Day 1. The team reportedly turned down enormous trade packages from the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings and took Maye, the North Carolina quarterback.
Beyond quarterback, outside receiver was a major need for New England. This offseason, the team released receiver DeVante Parker and signed veteran K.J. Osborn, but their depth chart still lacked a true outside, deep-ball receiver. That’s where someone like Polk could fit in.
Polk will now compete with Kendrick Bourne, Osborn, Demario “Pop” Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton. The hope is that the team has hit big. This is their second second-round receiver in three years after drafting Thornton in 2022.
THE BUFFALO Bills got their wide receiver on Friday night. So did the Los Angeles Chargers.
After trading down twice and out of the first round, the Bills opened Day 2 of the NFL draft by selecting Florida State’s Keon Coleman to give Josh Allen another playmaker and help replace Stefon Diggs.
The Chargers, who chose Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt over wideouts Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze with the fifth overall pick, traded up to take Georgia’s Ladd McConkey at No. 34. Justin Herbert will be counting on him to fill a void following the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Seven wide receivers went Thursday night, tying a record for most in the first round.
After Atlanta moved up to take Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro and Washington took Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, New England’s pick of Washington’s Polk made it 10 wide receivers in the top 37.
The Bills raised plenty of eyebrows in trading the 28th pick to AFC rival Kansas City, which took wideout Xavier Worthy. Buffalo then dealt the 32nd pick to Carolina and watched the Panthers take wideout Xavier Legette.
But the Bills added a third-rounder and more draft capital and still ended up with a receiver in Coleman, who had 50 receptions, 658 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns last season.
The Chargers swapped picks with the Patriots to get McConkey, who is a polished receiver with deceptive speed.
The most receivers selected in the first two rounds is 13 in 2020.
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