Patriots rookie Ja’Lynn Polk says he has ‘best hands in the league’ amid recent drops

"He just has to figure a way to overcome that, get back to focusing on what he can do well, and that’s a lot of things."

Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk has struggled to find his footing over the last few weeks.

The second-round pick only reeled in one catch for four yards in Sunday’s 41-21 loss to the Texans, with the former Washington wideout knocked for a pair of dropped passes.

His struggles with holding onto receptions has been noteworthy to start the season. Polk has 10 catches through six games, but off of 23 total targets.

Those drops from one of New England’s most promising young playmakers drew the ire of Jerod Mayo earlier this week, with the Patriots head coach stressing that Polk “needs to get over this mental hump.”

But it doesn’t seem like Polk is necessarily lacking in confidence when it comes to his slump.

Speaking with MassLive’s Mark Daniels on Wednesday, Polk pushed back against some of the criticism doled out by his head coach.

“I’m not dealing with [any] mental problems at all. No mental problems,” Polk told Daniels, later adding: “I believe I have the best hands in the league. So, I feel like my drops, that’s not an issue at all.”

Through six games with New England, Polk has posted 78 total receiving yards and one touchdown.

It remains to be seen where exactly Polk slots in on New England’s depth chart entering Week 7 against the Jaguars.

Even with Polk’s evident talent and standing as a second-round pick, Mayo noted on Monday that Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne stand as the first three wideouts on New England’s receiving corps.

Polk might need to build his game back up if he hopes to earn featured reps within New England’s offense over the next few weeks. But Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt isn’t fretting over the rookie’s chances of getting back on track this season.

“Success always gets you over that. He had a couple drops in the game, uncharacteristic of him,” Van Pelt said Thursday. “He’s a rookie. They’re all young guys right now. He just has to figure a way to overcome that, get back to focusing on what he can do well, and that’s a lot of things.

“A lot of times, you put a lot of pressure on these young guys when they come into play, especially right away as a rookie … As he has success moving forward, the drops will, I don’t see that as an issue.”

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.