Jerod Mayo wants more from rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, but Drake Maye has spoken up for the under-pressure pass-catcher. First-year quarterback Maye believes his fellow member of the Patriots’ 2024 NFL draft class needs to be involved earlier and more often in games.
Maye defended his teammate after the Pats lost 32-16 to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in Week 7. He told reporters the key to unlocking Polk’s potential is to “get him in the game early. I think that’ll help him, you know, feel involved. Gotta make a better throw to him on the corner route, on the first drive, you know little things like that to get him involved, ’cause he’s a good player for us,” per Carlos Lopez, co-host of The Patriots Pulse Podcast.
New England’s QB1 continued to take responsibility by saying, “It’s on me to, you know, kinda get him going, and throughout the week he’s always asking me to watch film and little things like that, and I guess throw after practice, he’s always there, so maybe we gotta do more.”
#Patriots QB Drake Maye on fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk:
“(Have to) get him in the game early, I think that’ll help him… He’s a good player for us and we need him out there. So, it’s on me to kind of get him going…
He’s always asking me to watch film… throwing after practice,…
This was a mature response from Maye, and a positive early indicator of the 22-year-old’s leadership skills. Yet, for as much as his quarterback is protecting him, Polk needs to put more plays on tape and fast.
Ja’Lynn Polk Struggling to Emerge
Polk has a great chance to emerge as the focal point of a passing game starting from scratch on Maye’s watch. It’s an opportunity this year’s second-round pick isn’t taking. Not after he failed to make a catch from just three targets in London.
His quiet day didn’t escape the attention of Mayo, who was candid in his assessment. The coach made it clear, “We need more from Polk. We need more concentration. He’ll be a good player in this league,” per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
Polk responded indirectly with a cryptic post on Instagram (h/t MassLive.com’s Chris Mason).
Ja’Lynn Polk on Instagram:
The ideal scenario for the Patriots will be Polk heeding his coach’s words and displaying the focus needed to become Maye’s go-to receiver. He has the talent, and 6-foot-1, 203-pound Polk isn’t facing much competition to be Maye’s favorite target.
Last year’s sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte is stretching the field outside the numbers, while DeMario Douglas is still winning underneath. What the Patriots are missing is a true all-rounder capable of beating coverage at every level of the field.
Polk has those skills, and they’re more likely to be unleashed by Maye’s arm talent.
Drake Maye Already Making a Difference
Maye’s impact on what was a pedestrian passing game has been obvious, even though he’s 0-2 as a starter. As Kyed’s colleague Andrew Callahan noted, the Patriots have hardly helped their young signal-caller thrive.
Instead, “In those games, the Pats have allowed 73 points and rushed for 66 yards (Maye scrambles excluded). A complete collapse around him.”
The #Patriots are 0-2 in Drake Maye’s first two starts, but that’s no fault of the rookie.
In those games, the Pats have allowed 73 points and rushed for 66 yards (Maye scrambles excluded).
A complete collapse around him.
That’s a fair assessment, but Maye is still managing to add the playmaking spark the Pats have been lacking for too long. The third-overall pick is already showing he can exploit defenses even when everything around him breaks down.
This off-platform throw to Kendrick Bourne against the Jaguars, highlighted by the Herald’s Zack Cox.
Kendrick Bourne on Drake Maye this week: “Drake’s so talented that you can almost run opposite (during scramble drills) and he can make that throw. Those type of traits are cool. … The big plays happen off that.”
A play like this shows what’s possible for receivers in a Maye-led offense. Polk should do all he can to make sure he’s the one on the end of more of these throws.
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Drake Maye Defends Patriots Wide Receiver Called Out by Jerod Mayo