Rookies Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker could make Patriots' passing game better than you think

The book on the 2024 New England Patriots is that their receiver corps is not ready for prime time. And given that the current cabal of receivers is led by veterans Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, there’s a credible argument to be made that there’s not a lot of there there, as Gertrude Stein once said of the city of Oakland.

But if the Patriots, rookie quarterback Drake Maye, veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt are to transcend all that, the answers could very well reside with two first-year pass-catchers: Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk, selected with the 37th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 draft, and UCF’s Javon Baker, selected with the 110th overall pick in the fourth round.

Both receivers are sleepers to a point, and they’ve each shown a lot on tape already. Last season for Washington, Polk set career highs in targets (108), receptions (69), receiving yards (1,159), and receiving touchdown (nine). Polk was also good for 14 catches on passes of 20 or more air yards on 28 such targets for 567 yards and five touchdowns.

At the 2024 scouting combine, I asked Polk for his favorite college play, and he brought up this 38-yard catch against Michigan State in which he ran a deep over route, and somehow came up with the catch despite getting whacked by safety Jaden Mangham at the catch point.

As for Baker, the former Alabama transfer who couldn’t find a place with the Crimson Tide in 2020 and 2021 had most of the answers to the tests in 2023. For the UCF Knights, Baker caught 52 passes on 84 targets for 1,139 yards and seven touchdowns. On deep passes, he was particularly lethal, bringing in 15 attempts of 20 or more air yards on 30 targets for 574 yards and four touchdowns.

Moreover, and this is especially important for the Patriots’ receiver group as it’s been constructed for years, both Polk and Baker can consistently gain separation from aggressive coverage.

As Polk said after he was drafted, he understands how to win with multiple positions and deployments, and that will pay off in the NFL. Last season, 36% of his snaps came in the slot.

“I think being a new player, you’ve got to be able to know how to move around, do different things and be able to go out there and contribute to your offense. So, being versatile, being able to move inside and outside, know what everybody’s doing on the field is very important. So, I think it’s my job to know as much as I can, to go out there and make plays for those guys that are putting in work each and every play. I want to put my quarterback in the best situation possible. I know I’m going to be able to go out there and make plays for him. So, just being able to help other guys around me and make their job easier as well, so when that guy’s lining up next to me, he can trust me. He can put the trust in me that I’m going to be able to know what I’m going to do. We can feed off each other, be able to communicate and help each other as well.”

Baker had 75% of his snaps outside last season, but he can also win from the slot. And he came into the building having some experience with the Patriots’ rookie first-round quarterback.

People don’t know this, but when Drake Maye was committed to Alabama at first, we always used to practice and throw around,” Baker said after he was drafted. “So, me and Drake Maye got a connection going on. Drake Maye, I think, in my opinion, is the best quarterback in this draft, so when we connect again, it’s going to be a good connection.

“Competitive and trying to get the ball in whatever spots I ask him to put it, he’d put it there. So, he’d be just competitive, a competitive quarterback, and that’s what I like in a quarterback. He is somebody that could push me, and I’ll push him.”

New head coach Jerod Mayo is excited about both new additions.

“I’ll start with Polk,” Mayo said at the end of the draft. “He’s one of those guys that before we even get to the main responsibility of a receiver as far as get open, catch the ball and run with it, he’s one of those guys that isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. When we talk about the dirty work, obviously we have a good set of backs. But sometimes you need those receivers to come in there and kind of dig out support, and he does that at a very high level. Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of Polk. He’s one of those guys, smooth route runner, has good hands, can do a lot of different things and he’s smart. That’s one thing that we covered around here. He’s flexible, can play in different spots, and I’m excited to really see him out there.

“Then really, when you talk about Javon, look, you talk about run after catch, the run after catch, this guy is aggressive, and I would say Bake is all about — he’s all ball. He’s all ball, which I can appreciate. You can see the passion come through when you watch them on film. Two guys that obviously have different skill sets but at the same time will help our team going forward.”

So, maybe there’s more to the Patriots’ receiver corps than many might think, and perhaps two rookies will lead the way.