It looks like Jerod Mayo was right with his critique of one Patriots' rookie

One of the most unexpected parts of the 2024 season in New England has been the underwhelming performance of almost every rookie. It has been particularly surprising seeing receivers Javon Baker and Ja'Lynn Polk struggle, as they were the most hyped coming out of the draft, only for their lackluster performance to be on full display each and every week, at least the times they were actually given a chance.

Polk has been critiqued the most since he was a second-round pick, and it comes with the territory. He looked good throughout the summer and looked like the Patriots had found a hidden gem that every other team passed on. But his consistent drops and mistakes so far have dominated his season.

It led to Jerod Mayo sharing his belief that Polk was dealing with mental hurdles holding him back from his full potential, which the rookie seemingly took offense to. The head coach received a lot of pushback from fans and reporters as well, yet based on how Polk hasn't improved much in the months since it looks like he might have been spot on.

The latest reporting citing team sources almost confirms it to be the case even more.

Jerod Mayo looks to have been right about the struggles of Ja'Lynn Polk early in the season

In a new article by the Boston Herald's Doug Kyed, Polk's struggles were the main focus, and the task at hand remains to identify the reason behind them. Although Polk himself can only answer what is really happening, some believe they know what's going on anyway.

Kyed spoke to his sources close to the team, claiming the rookie is having difficulty dealing with his mistakes and being hard on himself, which is essentially what Mayo said months ago.

“Team sources believe Polk is struggling mentally with mistakes and that he’s hard on himself, so the issues are compounding.”

If it is accurate, this would make a lot of sense, as any rookie would have a hard time adjusting to how different the game is in the NFL and overcoming the frustration of not having the season they hoped for early in their career.

The big question, however, is if Polk will overcome it and fully integrate into the offense the way the Patriots planned for him to be. He was a great player in college and one of the most consistent and reliable receivers of the 2024 class, we just haven't seen that in Foxboro just yet.

Hopefully, we will see Polk thrive (eventually) with the Patriots, and they won't have to put wide receiver at the top of the priority list next offseason.

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