Ja'Lynn Polk (born April 11, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech and Washington, finishing as the runner-up with the latter in the 2024 national championship. Polk was drafted 37th overall in the 2024 NFL draft by the Patriots.
 Polk in 2024 | |||||||||
| No. 1 – New England Patriots | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 11, 2002 Lufkin, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 203 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Lufkin (Lufkin) | ||||||||
| College: |
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| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 2 / pick: 37 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||||
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Early life
editPolk attended Lufkin High School in Lufkin, Texas.[1] During his career, he had 131 receptions for 2,412 yards and 24 touchdowns. He committed to Texas Tech University to play college football.[2]
College career
editPolk played at Texas Tech for one season in 2020, starting seven of 10 games, recording 28 receptions for 264 yards and two touchdowns. In 2021, he transferred to the University of Washington.[3][4] He played in only three games with two starts his first year at Washington due to injury and finished with five receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.[5] Polk spent 2022 as the team's third receiver behind Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan.[6] He finished the year with 41 receptions for 694 yards and six touchdowns. He returned to Washington in 2023.[7] After the 2024 CFP National Championship, Polk declared for the NFL Draft.[8]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
203 lb (92 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.52 s | 1.52 s | 2.65 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Polk was selected by the New England Patriots with the 37th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.[11] On June 13, 2024, Polk signed his four-year rookie contract worth $9.7 million, with a $3.87 million signing bonus.[12]
In the first quarter of Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Polk scored his first NFL touchdown on a five-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett in the 20–23 overtime loss.[13]
NFL career statistics
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2024 | NE | 11 | 6 | 12 | 87 | 7.3 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 11 | 6 | 30 | 12 | 87 | 7.3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
References
edit- ^ Dawson, Dudley E. (April 7, 2019). "Polk and parents felt official love for Arkansas". WholeHogSports. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Don (June 22, 2019). "Four skill-position players commit to Tech". LubbockOnline.com. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ Kirschman, Lauren (February 3, 2021). "UW Huskies add Texas Tech transfer WR Ja'Lynn Polk". The News Tribune. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (February 8, 2021). "Why Texas Tech transfer WR Ja'Lynn Polk decided to reunite with high school teammate Caleb Berry at Washington". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (April 22, 2022). "After recovering from a dislocated clavicle, UW WR Ja'Lynn Polk wants to make a more lasting impression". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (September 22, 2022). "How 6 a.m. study sessions prepared UW's Ja'Lynn Polk for his breakout start". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Kamrani, Christopher (September 15, 2023). "Washington's star wide receivers enjoying 'once-in-a-lifetime experience'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Kasabian, Paul (January 9, 2024). "Washington WR Ja'Lynn Polk Declares for 2024 NFL Draft After CFP Title Game Loss". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Ja'Lynn Polk Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Ja'Lynn Polk College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Katson, Alex (April 26, 2024). "New England Patriots draft WR Ja'Lynn Polk at No. 37 overall". Huskies Wire. USA Today. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Oliver (June 13, 2024). "Ja'Lynn Polk signs rookie contract with Patriots, completing 2024 draft class". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Leger, Justin (September 15, 2024). "WATCH: Ja'Lynn Polk scores first NFL TD". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- New England Patriots bio
- Washington Huskies bio
- Texas Tech Red Raiders bio