Instant analysis of Patriots selecting WR Ja'Lynn Polk with No. 37 pick

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 01: Ja’Lynn Polk #2 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Texas Longhorns during the CFP Semifinal Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 01, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

After using their first-round draft pick on quarterback Drake Maye, the New England Patriots didn’t waste any time getting him a solid offensive weapon in Washington wideout Ja’Lynn Polk.

There was some thinking that the team would consider taking Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell with the pick, but they opted for the big-bodied former Husky, who made contested catches look routine in college.

Polk is exactly the kind of playmaker the team needed outside the numbers to give Maye an opportunity to stretch the field. No, he isn’t a burner on the outside. So this isn’t the case of a receiver who’s capable of blowing the top off a defense.

What Polk lacks in speed he more than makes up for it with his physicality. He’s a hard-nosed receiver who relishes in contested catch situations and tends to come out on top. In many ways, his ability to win jump-ball situations is what the Patriots have been waiting to see from Tyquan Thornton.

Polk exploded in his final year at Washington with 69 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. However, those numbers came when playing opposite of first-round pick Rome Odunze.

We’ll see if Polk can break out on his own in a Patriots offense that desperately needed someone with his skill set.

This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Instant analysis of Patriots selecting WR Ja’Lynn Polk with No. 37 pick