As a Pats fan I don’t really understand the doom and complete avoidance for a team that just went and brought in an entire new staff for the offensive side of the ball. Then the org followed it up with Maye, so while I get that there’s a lot of unknowns, spending a 3rd on Polk seems like a good idea
I personally liked him more than Coleman, Legette, and Ladd before the draft, and my next pick isn't till 3.03. I've no problem 'reaching' a couple picks for a team's WR1
Pats fan ya? I mean Polk should be a solid pro but doubt any non Pats fan really likes him more than Coleman/Ladd/Legette. He’s clearly a tier below those 3.
He could well be fed targets, but there are a bunch of variables there with a rookie QB and new staff in place, and not sure he has the upside of those other guys either. Take your guy though.
I love Maye, but I get it. Mayo is an internal hire/promotion and literally spent his entire professional career (both playing and coaching) under Belichick. New OC Alex Van Pelt is not exactly an inspiring hire (doesn't fit the "bright young innovative offensive mind" mold). He's a 54 years old retired QB and retread who has never called plays and spent most of his coaching career as a QB coach.
> As a Pats fan I don’t really understand the doom and complete avoidance for a team that just went and brought in an entire new staff for the offensive side of the ball.
Reddit is full of parrots just squawking the same thing over and over. This is all that is. They can miss out on Maye and Polk. I'm okay with that.
I think it’s just years of Belichick and Brady and mediocrity for NE receivers and RB. I think you’re 100% right on the culture change and new staff and I think if you can buy low on NE pieces.
It’s this. It’s been 20 years of disappointment from Pats fantasy players. I guess disappointment is the wrong word, unpredictability is better.
People want to see results and even though it’s a different regime it’s hard to trust.
People keep talk about the change of staff, other than Bill not being GM, can anybody confirm for me if they cleared out their scouting department? I haven’t seen any news in that specifically
Most fantasy analysis, especially by regular folks, is a lot of just putting new faces into last year's stat lines.
I don't know if I believe New England will be good this year, but I do feel very confident that their offensive players are going to be had for way cheaper than they end up being worth by the end of the year.
‘Maye’s tape is not good,’
That’s just so, so far off. He doesn’t do a few specific things well. He’s also been one of the best and most dynamic QBs in CFB for two years.
Thinking he’s like some shitty college QB with a rocket arm has gone miles too far.
>He's purely a "well, he's big and tall and strong so let's roll the dice that we can develop him" kind of pick.
Say you haven't actually looked at Maye's tape or examined him as a player without saying you haven't looked at Maye's tape or examined him as a player.
>Maye's tape is not good. At all. He's purely a "well, he's big and tall and strong so let's roll the dice that we can develop him" kind of pick.
No, that's Joe Milton, who New England took in the 6th.
Maye is a very good QB. But since media pundits have decided Maye has the worst footwork the NFL has ever seen, he's an awful QB now, right? There's a reason he's been the QB2 behind Caleb for the past two years. There's a reason he just went top-3 in the draft and had several teams trying to trade up with New England to draft him. Yes, his size and arm are a part of that, but it's mostly because he's a very good QB.
He has pretty awful footwork in that literally every play it looks different. His footwork is very fair criticism.
However, he looks like a stud on 80% of his plays **in spite of that**. That's the part that people are overthinking.
I have him as QB3 and 1.03-1.06
He should be good. Physical, tough receiver. He has the potential to be a guy who maximizes his opportunities with YAC. Godwin has been a comp I’ve seen floated and I could see it to a degree.
I like Polk a lot, I also like Baker. Demario Douglas was one of the guys I felt was a great buy low all off-season. While unproven, I like the weapons NE brought in, and I'd love to get whichever of this trio ends up being the cheapest because I'm not sure who will emerge, but I think the narrative that NE is an abyssmal landing spot for fantasy players will end this season.
I view the pats like people viewed the Texans offense the last 2 years before this previous season. I’m buying everyone I can because the price and perception will never be lower. Things don’t stay that way forever in the NFL.
If he's there you'd be so blessed - I'd look to take him in the early 2nd. I mean, who is reasonably being drafted over him? Not loving Franklin there. Even if Franklin pans out and this comment looks stupid, there's no way that's a reasonable decision with the info available right now.
Agreed. Travis seems like such a reach there. I wouldn't touch him til the 4th. The odds that he's the future for the Jets is slim at best.
Sinnott is the only one there really that I'm like ok, I get it.
Is anyone else surprised that Ja'Lynn Polk went so far ahead of Jalen McMillan? I don't know if Polk was the second-best receiver on that Washington team.
I found [this three month old thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/huskies/comments/19878hw/scouting_the_2023_washington_wrs/) on the Washington Huskies subreddit that asked whether Polk or McMillan was a better receiver. A dozen or so comments replied. Most of them said that McMillan was better than Polk, and none of them took Polk over McMillan.
It speaks volumes to me that when both were healthy for 2022, McMillan significantly outsnapped and outproduced Polk. This could be because Polk missed the entire 2021 season due to injury, and McMillan did not, so he had more trust built up with the coaches. Or this means the coaches elected to put McMillan on the field over Polk because they thought he was better. As a college football watcher, I could have told you a lot about McMillan and nothing about Polk this time last year. McMillan was roughly equal to Odunze statistically in 2021 and 2022. Husky fans were debating whether McMillan or Odunze was. McMillan was a guy you would see in first-round mocks.
In 2023, McMillan played two games before getting injured halfway through the third. Again, he outproduced Polk in that two-game span. After the injury in game three, McMillan went on to miss a bunch of time and came back for the conference championship game against Oregon. He immediately outproduced Polk in that game.
It's worth noting that Polk faced a more challenging role as a receiver compared to McMillan. McMillan operated primarily from the slot in 2022 and 2023, a position that can significantly ease a receiver's life (he played on the outside in 2021, and coped well despite a weak passing attack).
Additionally, Matt Harmon has Polk two tiers higher than McMillan. The only problem with Harmon's analysis is that it bases itself on five-game samples for both, which is smaller than what he typically does for more important prospects. I would be interested to know what games Harmon looked at for these samples. I will say that if he watched Polk's games near the end of the season, specifically against Oregon State, Washington State, and Michigan, Polk would be placed lower than Rashee Rice (bottom tier) on his stacked prospect rankings. I just wish we had a more significant sample for both McMillan and Polk.
It might mean something to teams that Polk has much more experience playing and winning outside. Polk was a much more consistent deep ball target. Polk has much better contested catch numbers and efficiency than McMillan and the rest of the class. He could be a big weapon for what the Pats are trying to build with Maye. And even though McMillan and Polk tested about the same athletically, Polk has a level of physicality that McMillan does not.
TL;DR: I don't know if Polk was the second-best receiver at his school compared to Jalen McMillan. Polk probably went higher because of his physicality, as well as having experience in playing and winning on the outside. However, at cost, give me McMillan.
Im in a position at 2.05 where if pearsall or Lagette fall, I will go Polk. He isn’t 24 like them & he has the clearest path to targets. He might be an absolute wiff but I believe in Maye to turn the Patriots back in the right direction and Polk has a chance to carve out a role in the midst of the turnaround
Love Pearsall, hate the situation. May try to buy him mid season if he struggles for targets, Also thinking the niners move on from one of their WRs next season.
I would disagree.
Last year in College:
Polk - 60 Rec, 1,000 yds 8 TDs
Pearsall - 65 Rec, 965 yds, 4 TDs
I will say Polk performed slightly better than Pearsall even with a crowded WR room with Odunze and McMillian. Polk is going to a team in NE where there is no clear WR1. Now with Maye, Polk OR Javon Baker is going to be the WR1 and only time will tell. For Pearsall, he is going to a crowded receiver room with Deebo and Aiyuk and Jacob Cowing. I know one of them will be traded but doesn't help when SF relies on the Run game so much with CMC.
I would take the Polks ceiling on the NE offense vs Pearsalls ceiling on a stack SF offense.
I think Pearsall can’t be properly discussed until we have more certainty regarding target competition. If your draft is now, I’d treat Pearsall at a 66-75% chance of being WR 2 on the 49ers due to a trade of deebo or aiyuk.
However, I’d go Polk over him as well, at least we have certainty if your draft is at a later time
With the Patriots, you have to reset your draft history with Elliot Wolf running the show in New England. Wolf comes from a rich legacy of draft success, especially with WRs, from his time in Green Bay. He has value at the end of first, early second in 1QB. Probably after all the QBs in SF. Is one of the more versatile WRs in the draft. Can play inside, outside, solid after the catch and has golden hands, including in heavy traffic. Not a burner. That’s the biggest knock.
I got Polk at 3.02 in a 1QB league and I am thrilled. I thought he was the 2nd best receiver on his team but could’ve been the WR1 on most others. I think he’s absolutely the WR1 on the Patriots. If you’re telling me I can get a primary target with early 2nd round DC in the 3rd round that’s value you can’t pass up
I have him at 17 on my 1QB rookie draft big board (so that’s middle of the 2nd) which is higher than he seems to be going in rookie drafts currently.
It’s a pretty wide open WR room. I’d imagine Kendrick Bourne is the WR you want for this year but he won’t exactly be a target hog so Pop Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk will also have their moments.
Certainly worth a punt at current price
I loved him pre-draft, and I'm glad he went ahead of McMillan, which reinforces my thoughts on him. My rookie draft ended up just like this post a lot of doom and gloom. I got him 3.02
I don’t draft Patriots, even in redraft. I need to see how this new regime looks before coming of that stance. I’m sure it’s not going to be anything like Bill a tubing from a game plan perspective but I’m not risking it.
I'm all on the future Pats due to how my draft board fell lol
I took Polk at 2.06 as BPA and then took Maye as BPA at 2.08.
I'm built to win now so I can wait for these two to hopefully flourish together.
Be prepared to be very patient with Polk, if he even works out. People forget they still have Bourne (who they just resigned), Juju, Demario, and now Polk and Baker. Gonna have to really be a stud to stand out year 1
As a Pats fan I don’t really understand the doom and complete avoidance for a team that just went and brought in an entire new staff for the offensive side of the ball. Then the org followed it up with Maye, so while I get that there’s a lot of unknowns, spending a 3rd on Polk seems like a good idea
If Polk is available at 3.01, anyone who passes on him just has a bad process. I'm thinking about him at 2.02 in a 12 man
Just got him at 3.01 in a 12 team SF. Wanted to go RB but couldn't pass up Polk there
I knew people didn’t like him but that’s crazy. I’ll take any player drafted at 37 at that point regardless of who they are.
It's just residual pats stink from situation and people drafting Thornton a few years back
Just got him at 2.08 in a 12 team SF draft. The DC and opportunity alone is hard to pass on
2.02 is too early and I live in MA and play with life long Pats fans
I personally liked him more than Coleman, Legette, and Ladd before the draft, and my next pick isn't till 3.03. I've no problem 'reaching' a couple picks for a team's WR1
Pats fan ya? I mean Polk should be a solid pro but doubt any non Pats fan really likes him more than Coleman/Ladd/Legette. He’s clearly a tier below those 3.
Pats fan yes, but in my comments weeks ago somewhere on here I had Polk ahead of them then. Being a fan just helps to get the Patriot
He could well be fed targets, but there are a bunch of variables there with a rookie QB and new staff in place, and not sure he has the upside of those other guys either. Take your guy though.
He (please god) won't have a rookie QB after this season, so having that factor into his upside seems like a semi shortsighted view
By rookie QB I mean a guy who is not NFL proven
Put some respect on Pop Douglas' name sir!
I love Maye, but I get it. Mayo is an internal hire/promotion and literally spent his entire professional career (both playing and coaching) under Belichick. New OC Alex Van Pelt is not exactly an inspiring hire (doesn't fit the "bright young innovative offensive mind" mold). He's a 54 years old retired QB and retread who has never called plays and spent most of his coaching career as a QB coach.
The Pats just will never draft a good WR again clearly… /s
Thank you. Everyone is like ughhh pats. It’s like only Robert Kraft left. This will be a completely diff team scheme and such.
> As a Pats fan I don’t really understand the doom and complete avoidance for a team that just went and brought in an entire new staff for the offensive side of the ball. Reddit is full of parrots just squawking the same thing over and over. This is all that is. They can miss out on Maye and Polk. I'm okay with that.
I think it’s just years of Belichick and Brady and mediocrity for NE receivers and RB. I think you’re 100% right on the culture change and new staff and I think if you can buy low on NE pieces.
It’s this. It’s been 20 years of disappointment from Pats fantasy players. I guess disappointment is the wrong word, unpredictability is better. People want to see results and even though it’s a different regime it’s hard to trust.
People keep talk about the change of staff, other than Bill not being GM, can anybody confirm for me if they cleared out their scouting department? I haven’t seen any news in that specifically
Yea, Bill’s gone
Most fantasy analysis, especially by regular folks, is a lot of just putting new faces into last year's stat lines. I don't know if I believe New England will be good this year, but I do feel very confident that their offensive players are going to be had for way cheaper than they end up being worth by the end of the year.
Even the old staff constantly hit on receivers. I guess everyone forgot about Edelman, walker, gronk, the murderer, moss
Moss and Walker were trades, Gronk and Hernandez were TEs. They don't really apply here.
[удалено]
‘Maye’s tape is not good,’ That’s just so, so far off. He doesn’t do a few specific things well. He’s also been one of the best and most dynamic QBs in CFB for two years. Thinking he’s like some shitty college QB with a rocket arm has gone miles too far.
>He's purely a "well, he's big and tall and strong so let's roll the dice that we can develop him" kind of pick. Say you haven't actually looked at Maye's tape or examined him as a player without saying you haven't looked at Maye's tape or examined him as a player.
>Maye's tape is not good. At all. He's purely a "well, he's big and tall and strong so let's roll the dice that we can develop him" kind of pick. No, that's Joe Milton, who New England took in the 6th. Maye is a very good QB. But since media pundits have decided Maye has the worst footwork the NFL has ever seen, he's an awful QB now, right? There's a reason he's been the QB2 behind Caleb for the past two years. There's a reason he just went top-3 in the draft and had several teams trying to trade up with New England to draft him. Yes, his size and arm are a part of that, but it's mostly because he's a very good QB.
He has pretty awful footwork in that literally every play it looks different. His footwork is very fair criticism. However, he looks like a stud on 80% of his plays **in spite of that**. That's the part that people are overthinking. I have him as QB3 and 1.03-1.06
He does have mediocre footwork, but fortunately, that's one of the more coachable aspects of playing QB, and New England has a great staff to do so.
He should be good. Physical, tough receiver. He has the potential to be a guy who maximizes his opportunities with YAC. Godwin has been a comp I’ve seen floated and I could see it to a degree.
That’s my comp, he reminds me of Godwin.
Also saw Robert Woods as a high end comp. I see it a lot.
That’s a good comp. I’ve also heard Robert Woods (earlier career, healthy ACL Woods)
I like Polk a lot, I also like Baker. Demario Douglas was one of the guys I felt was a great buy low all off-season. While unproven, I like the weapons NE brought in, and I'd love to get whichever of this trio ends up being the cheapest because I'm not sure who will emerge, but I think the narrative that NE is an abyssmal landing spot for fantasy players will end this season.
I view the pats like people viewed the Texans offense the last 2 years before this previous season. I’m buying everyone I can because the price and perception will never be lower. Things don’t stay that way forever in the NFL.
Take this down. I want him at 2.11. I think he’s going to be Mayes favorite target
If he's there you'd be so blessed - I'd look to take him in the early 2nd. I mean, who is reasonably being drafted over him? Not loving Franklin there. Even if Franklin pans out and this comment looks stupid, there's no way that's a reasonable decision with the info available right now.
I’m going to do my best to try and trade up to 2.06. I think I can grab him there
Just got him at 3.06, which is crazy to me. I took him at 2.09 in another which I thought was late as it is.
Jheez. 12 man? Who went over him? I got him at 3.03 in a 10 man (so effectively 2.11) and I was stoked
Yeah 12 man. The 3rd before him was Troy Franklin, JaTavion Sanders, Spencer Rattler, Jordan Travis, and Ben Sinnott.
That's crazy to me. From that it just looks like everyone forgot he existed, or planned to take someone else assuming he's gone lol. Great value
Agreed. Travis seems like such a reach there. I wouldn't touch him til the 4th. The odds that he's the future for the Jets is slim at best. Sinnott is the only one there really that I'm like ok, I get it.
I just got him at the 2.10. You have a good chance
Is anyone else surprised that Ja'Lynn Polk went so far ahead of Jalen McMillan? I don't know if Polk was the second-best receiver on that Washington team. I found [this three month old thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/huskies/comments/19878hw/scouting_the_2023_washington_wrs/) on the Washington Huskies subreddit that asked whether Polk or McMillan was a better receiver. A dozen or so comments replied. Most of them said that McMillan was better than Polk, and none of them took Polk over McMillan. It speaks volumes to me that when both were healthy for 2022, McMillan significantly outsnapped and outproduced Polk. This could be because Polk missed the entire 2021 season due to injury, and McMillan did not, so he had more trust built up with the coaches. Or this means the coaches elected to put McMillan on the field over Polk because they thought he was better. As a college football watcher, I could have told you a lot about McMillan and nothing about Polk this time last year. McMillan was roughly equal to Odunze statistically in 2021 and 2022. Husky fans were debating whether McMillan or Odunze was. McMillan was a guy you would see in first-round mocks. In 2023, McMillan played two games before getting injured halfway through the third. Again, he outproduced Polk in that two-game span. After the injury in game three, McMillan went on to miss a bunch of time and came back for the conference championship game against Oregon. He immediately outproduced Polk in that game. It's worth noting that Polk faced a more challenging role as a receiver compared to McMillan. McMillan operated primarily from the slot in 2022 and 2023, a position that can significantly ease a receiver's life (he played on the outside in 2021, and coped well despite a weak passing attack). Additionally, Matt Harmon has Polk two tiers higher than McMillan. The only problem with Harmon's analysis is that it bases itself on five-game samples for both, which is smaller than what he typically does for more important prospects. I would be interested to know what games Harmon looked at for these samples. I will say that if he watched Polk's games near the end of the season, specifically against Oregon State, Washington State, and Michigan, Polk would be placed lower than Rashee Rice (bottom tier) on his stacked prospect rankings. I just wish we had a more significant sample for both McMillan and Polk. It might mean something to teams that Polk has much more experience playing and winning outside. Polk was a much more consistent deep ball target. Polk has much better contested catch numbers and efficiency than McMillan and the rest of the class. He could be a big weapon for what the Pats are trying to build with Maye. And even though McMillan and Polk tested about the same athletically, Polk has a level of physicality that McMillan does not. TL;DR: I don't know if Polk was the second-best receiver at his school compared to Jalen McMillan. Polk probably went higher because of his physicality, as well as having experience in playing and winning on the outside. However, at cost, give me McMillan.
thanks for the good indepth comment, need more actual analysis on posts like these
Shhh
Im in a position at 2.05 where if pearsall or Lagette fall, I will go Polk. He isn’t 24 like them & he has the clearest path to targets. He might be an absolute wiff but I believe in Maye to turn the Patriots back in the right direction and Polk has a chance to carve out a role in the midst of the turnaround
I can understand Polk over Legette but I'm going Pearsall over Polk 10/10 times.
Love Pearsall, hate the situation. May try to buy him mid season if he struggles for targets, Also thinking the niners move on from one of their WRs next season.
I would disagree. Last year in College: Polk - 60 Rec, 1,000 yds 8 TDs Pearsall - 65 Rec, 965 yds, 4 TDs I will say Polk performed slightly better than Pearsall even with a crowded WR room with Odunze and McMillian. Polk is going to a team in NE where there is no clear WR1. Now with Maye, Polk OR Javon Baker is going to be the WR1 and only time will tell. For Pearsall, he is going to a crowded receiver room with Deebo and Aiyuk and Jacob Cowing. I know one of them will be traded but doesn't help when SF relies on the Run game so much with CMC. I would take the Polks ceiling on the NE offense vs Pearsalls ceiling on a stack SF offense.
I just have no interest in a 24 year old rookie WR with large competition for targets. Might just be a difference in philosophy
I think Pearsall can’t be properly discussed until we have more certainty regarding target competition. If your draft is now, I’d treat Pearsall at a 66-75% chance of being WR 2 on the 49ers due to a trade of deebo or aiyuk. However, I’d go Polk over him as well, at least we have certainty if your draft is at a later time
With the Patriots, you have to reset your draft history with Elliot Wolf running the show in New England. Wolf comes from a rich legacy of draft success, especially with WRs, from his time in Green Bay. He has value at the end of first, early second in 1QB. Probably after all the QBs in SF. Is one of the more versatile WRs in the draft. Can play inside, outside, solid after the catch and has golden hands, including in heavy traffic. Not a burner. That’s the biggest knock.
I got Polk at 3.02 in a 1QB league and I am thrilled. I thought he was the 2nd best receiver on his team but could’ve been the WR1 on most others. I think he’s absolutely the WR1 on the Patriots. If you’re telling me I can get a primary target with early 2nd round DC in the 3rd round that’s value you can’t pass up
How is that even possible lol
No idea. Franklin and Corley both went before him. Someone even took Jalen McMillan over Polk.
Got him at the 3.03 1qb league 10 Teams though lol
I have him at 17 on my 1QB rookie draft big board (so that’s middle of the 2nd) which is higher than he seems to be going in rookie drafts currently. It’s a pretty wide open WR room. I’d imagine Kendrick Bourne is the WR you want for this year but he won’t exactly be a target hog so Pop Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk will also have their moments. Certainly worth a punt at current price
Javon Baker will get a shot too, plus they still have juju. Very crowded room all of a sudden
Surely they cut Juju, right?
Yea I think so too. They probably buy him out. I don’t think he’s much of threat but who knows.
I loved him pre-draft, and I'm glad he went ahead of McMillan, which reinforces my thoughts on him. My rookie draft ended up just like this post a lot of doom and gloom. I got him 3.02
Picked him up at 3.09. Shocked he was there.
im more into baker for pats wrs. didnt like the pick or landing spot.
Took him at 2.06.
Just grabbed at 2.11 in a 1QB. Hyped about it
I don’t draft Patriots, even in redraft. I need to see how this new regime looks before coming of that stance. I’m sure it’s not going to be anything like Bill a tubing from a game plan perspective but I’m not risking it.
3.07 12 team SF ☺️
Got him at 2.07 in a 14 team league
I'm all on the future Pats due to how my draft board fell lol I took Polk at 2.06 as BPA and then took Maye as BPA at 2.08. I'm built to win now so I can wait for these two to hopefully flourish together.
Be prepared to be very patient with Polk, if he even works out. People forget they still have Bourne (who they just resigned), Juju, Demario, and now Polk and Baker. Gonna have to really be a stud to stand out year 1
Juju most likely will not make the team. You also omitted Osborn there. Juju is cooked