New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Washington wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk makes a catch against Michigan defensive back Josh Wallace during the first half of the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.) The Patriots made a very bad decision to trade down with the LA Chargers. This was a swap of picks as the Patriots gave up #34 and #137 to drop down 3 spots to obtain #37 and #110. In the draft trade chart this was an even trade. The Chargers got dynamic WR Ladd McConkey. He was one of my favorite players in this draft. The Patriots lost this trade!
Polk was listed as #43 in AJ Schulte’s Top 100. Here is his synopsis.
STRENGTHS
Elite ball skills
Elite competitive
toughness
Very good body control
Very good hands
Very good run blocker
Good quickness
Good speed
Good route-running ability
Alignment versatility
WEAKNESS
Average long speed
Average change-of-direction ability
Average burst
Dane Brugler has this to say about Polk in the Athletic’s “The Beast” NFL Draft Guide ($$).
BACKGROUND: Ja’Lynn (JAY-lin) “J.P.” Polk, who has a younger sister, was born and raised in East Texas. He moved around growing up, living in places like Nacogdoches and Baytown (east of Houston). Despite getting a late start in organized sports (soccer was the first organized sport he played), he developed a love for basketball while playing on the AAU circuit and had dreams of making it to the NBA. However, Polk started playing little league football in sixth grade and became the top offensive weapon at Bonnette Junior High in Deer Park. Prior to high school, he moved to Lufkin, Texas and attended Lufkin High School, the alma mater of NFL receivers Dez Bryant and Keke Coutee. After seeing varsity action as a freshman (his first time committing to wide receiver), Polk posted 40 catches for 667 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore, earning honorable mention All-District honors. As a junior, he helped Lufkin to a 10-2 record and the 2018 district championship, and he earned first team All-District with 37 receptions for 695 yards and nine touchdowns. Polk again led the team to a district title in 2019 — he was named third team All-State and the district’s Offensive MVP. He finished his senior year with 54 catches for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns, despite a late-season shoulder injury. Polk, who also starred on the 7-on-7 circuit, lettered in basketball and track at Lufkin and set personal bests of 22.89 seconds in the 200 meters, 52.94 in the 400 meters and 6 feet in the high jump. A three-star recruit, Polk was the No. 80 wide receiver in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 65 recruit in Texas. He received his first offer the summer before his sophomore year (June 2017), from Illinois. As a junior, Polk picked up several other offers, including from Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State and Nevada. Towards the end of his junior year, he received an offer from Texas Tech, and the Red Raiders made his final four (along with Arizona, Arkansas and Baylor). In June 2019, Polk committed to Texas Tech and former head coach Matt Wells. He was the No. 3 recruit in Texas Tech’s 2020 class. After one season with the program, he wanted a new start (Polk: “Things weren’t really what I thought they would be.”) and entered the transfer portal (January 2021). Polk narrowed his choice to Houston, Kentucky and Washington, and he committed to the Huskies (without taking a visit), because a few of their receivers were set to leave (like Puka Nacua, who transferred to BYU). After three years at Washington, Polk elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
The decision to draft Polk at this position was terrible. Polk cannot separate. Running a pedestrian 4.52. For what they obtained from LA Chargers they should have stayed at #34 and taken McConkey. Even after they made the bad trade, they should have changed priorities and taken Kingsley Suamataia OT BYU.
An immediate reaction to the selection of Polk was “we replaced Parker with Parker.” The comp for Polk is Jakobi Meyers, a reliable pass catcher but can’t separate and won’t get you any Yards After Catch. Polk was a reach at #34. In my list of available players, published before the 2nd day, I had Polk as a 3rd round player.
The connection with the Patriots is that Polk played for Patriots WR coach Tyler Hughes at Washington.
I was very disappointed that the Patriots braintrust didn’t read the draft properly and were unable or unwilling to move up and take a left Tackle. Patrick Paul went to Miami at #23, Blake Fisher to Houston at #27, Roger Rosengarten to Baltimore at #30, Kansas City traded up and took Kingsley Suamataia at #31, and Washington took Brandon Coleman at #67 just before the Patriots. Not that Wallace is a bad player, but he is a Right Tackle and the team just paid Michael Onwenu a boatload of money. We have seen Onwenu try and play the left side before and he is strictly a right handed player. I don’t believe he can play Left Tackle or Left Guard. The Patriots passed on Kiran Amegdjie LT Yale and Christian Haynes a G/C from Connecticut.
Wallace is 6’47 314 lbs., his hand size is 10 ¾, arm length 34”. 82 5/8 Wingspan, 5.15 40-yard dash. He was 4-year starter for Penn St in the Big 10 with 40 career starts.
Wallace did not make AJ Schulte’s Top 100 players yet was taken at #68 at the tail end of the run on OTs.
If the Patriots had taken an OT at #37, they could have had Javon Baker WR UCF, Jalen McMillan WR Washington or Roman Wilson WR Michigan at #68.
Dane Brugler has this to say about Wallace in the Athletic’s “The Beast” NFL Draft Guide ($$).
STRENGTHS: Looks the part with his body width and thickness … creates push in the run game when he rolls his hips through contact … flashes violence through engagement and sustains through the whistle … has a good feel for when to keep his feet beneath him and when to go for the kill shot … displays functional slide quickness and coordination to cover up pass rushers … his large hands are well timed in pass protection to seal and keep rushers from his body … looks comfortable passing off and addressing basic stunts and blitzes … Penn State coaches say they saw a meaningful uptick in his preparation skills in 2023 (offensive line coach Phil Trautwein: “His mindset has changed overall in a better way in the meeting room.”) … all his starts came at right tackle, but NFL scouts say he saw plenty of guard reps during practice.
WEAKNESSES: Doesn’t have elite range in his lateral movements, creating a small margin for error versus edge speed … his pads tend to rise in his pass-set urgency, forcing him to open his hips and readjust his depth points … his anchor breaks down once he gets upright … needs to maintain low pad level (without dropping his eye level) as a run blocker to unlock his point-of-attack strength … grabby and can get caught with too much cloth when attempting to recover … missed the final five games of the regular season as a junior because of a lingering ankle injury (October 2022) … charged with possession of a controlled substance (August 2020) … will be 24 years old on draft weekend … all 40 of his college starts (and 99.8 percent of his college snaps) came at right tackle, and he is unproven at other positions.
SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Penn State, Wallace was entrenched as the right tackle in former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s multiple run scheme. After breaking into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman, he showed steady progress year over year, including a strong senior season in 2023. Although his kick-slide isn’t always explosive, Wallace stays controlled/squared as a pass blocker to close space and cut off rushers with his strike timing. When his technique is on point, he has the functional movements and strength behind his hands to be a presence in the run game. Overall, Wallace needs to continue developing his consistency, but he is a smooth athlete with a wide base, punch-ready hands and improved physicality to finish. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him starting as an NFL rookie at right tackle or potentially inside at guard.
Wallace in a zoom interview stated that he is “super confident” that he could play Left Tackle or anywhere up and down the line. I am well aware the Patriots’ coaches like Wallace as he was one of their 30 visits.
The immediate reaction to Eliot Wolf’s 2nd day of the draft is a complete disaster. They traded #34 pick but did not get any additional draft capital to move up in the draft as the draft played out and they couldn’t or wouldn’t adjust to the run on OTs. Chukwu Okorafor is an unproven commodity at Left Tackle.
I wouldn’t call the selection of Wallace a reach, but a reaction to the incredible run on Offensive Tackles.
This was an unprecedented run of the Offensive lineman. Twenty-Five were taken in the 1st 3-rounds, the most ever in the history of the draft.
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Current NFL WRs with slower 40 times:
Puka Nacua 4.57
Cooper Kupp 4.62
Davante Adams 4.56
Keenan Allen 4.56
Diontae Johnson 4.53
Amon-Ra St Brown 4.51
Michael Pittman 4.52
Jakobi Meyers 4.63
Mike Evans 4.53
Ceedee Lamb 4.50
Mike Williams 4.53