New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk has struggled to begin his debut campaign. Polk recorded just one reception on four targets for four yards against the Houston Texans on Sunday. He was also credited with a drop. There appeared to be no connection with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who made his first career start.
Head coach Jerod Mayo recently commented on his struggles.
"He needs to get over this mental hump," Mayo said following Polk's latest lackluster performance. "You've got to eliminate the dropped passes. You've got to be better at blocking, which in college he did a great job at that. You have to continue to grow. He has to work harder, and has to pay more attention to the details. We fully expect him to grow into a receiver that's dependable on run and pass downs."
Jerod Mayo on Ja'Lynn Polk
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 14, 2024
"He needs to get over this mental hump. You've got to eliminate the dropped passes. You've got be better at blocking, which in college he did a great job at that. You have to continue to grow. He has to work harder. Has to pay more attention to the…
Polk saw his playing time slightly reduced on Sunday due to his struggles. The second-round wideout played 43 snaps, which accounted for 65% of the Patriots' offensive plays. That was significantly lower than the 100% and 83% workloads he saw in the previous two games.
Polk has recorded just 10 receptions on 22 targets for 78 receiving yards and one touchdown. He's caught less than 50% of his targets and has yet to display chemistry with either Patriots quarterback. They are seeing a horrid passer rating of 69.9 when targeting Polk this season.
Creating separation has been a consistent issue for Polk all season long. Against the Texans on Sunday, Next Gen Stats credited him with generating just 1.77 yards of distance between himself and the nearest defender. That's well below the league-average mark of 2.96 yards. Data collected by Pro Football Focus insinuates Polk has been among the worst separators in the entire NFL, with him appearing at the bottom left of this separation graph.
Through 5 weeks, raw PFF separation grade (on all routes run) as well as their grade at the catchpoint+ after catch
— Jrfortgang (@throwthedamball) October 9, 2024
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Among all NFL receivers who have seen a minimum of 20 targets this season, Polk is PFF's lowest-graded player at 48.4. He also ranks dead-last in yards after the catch per reception (0.2) with just two measly yards after catch. His yards per reception mark of 7.8 ranks third-last, and his 0.50 yards per route run is second-worst. After recording drops in consecutive contests, Polk's drop percentage of 16.7% is the seventh-worst.
Polk has primarily played as the Patriots' "X" receiver this season. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt must consider a change in usage to get his first-year playmaker going. Moving Polk to the "Z"/flanker or slot positions with more frequency could help him see more off-ball coverage as a zone beater, limiting the need for him to consistently defeat man coverage.
Polk needs to start showing chemistry with Maye while earning back the trust of the coaching staff. He's now being afforded an opportunity to grow alongside Maye, a quarterback he hopes to form a deep-rooted connection with for years to come. The early returns have been discouraging, but Polk possesses a skill set that's worth exploring further throughout the 2024 campaign.
