Ja'Lynn Polk was the 10th wide receiver drafted last April, but his production placed him much lower than his peers when it came to receiving yards.
Polk had just 12 catches for 87 yards despite playing 15 games for a team desperate for targets in the passing game. To make matters worse, the Patriots traded down three spots with the Chargers before taking Polk in the second round and the Chargers took Ladd McConkey, who had 82 catches for 1,149 yards in his first NFL campaign.
While speaking to reporters at the Scouting Combine this week, Patriots executive vice president Eliot Wolf said "sometimes for whatever reason, rookies just aren’t ready to go" and that he thinks the team might have asked for too much from Polk too soon.
“He was a young player that came in, and he’s mature, he’s smart," Wolf said, via Chris Mason of MassLive.com. "I think organizationally we maybe put too much on his plate early, and I think that really kind of stunted his growth a little bit. He’s aware of that, and we’ve talked about it. And he’s going to continue to work hard and rehab and do the things that are necessary to improve.”
Wolf said he's "hopeful" Polk will make strides in 2025, but the Patriots are likely to take other steps to make sure that the cupboard is stocked with options at receiver this time around.
