Patriots Mock Draft: Pats crush it in this post-Belichick 3-round draft
Patriots go wide receiver with their third-round pick
In the third round, the New England Patriots waste no time shoring up the third most crucial need on their offense, the wide receiver position. They move here for Ja'lynn Polk, a dynamic receiver from Washington.
Polk has excellent size at 6'2" tall and 190 pounds. At Washington, he caught passes from top quarterback Michael Penix. In 2023, He caught 69 passes for 1169 yards. He's also no stranger to the end zone, tallying nine TDs in 2023.
Bleacherreport.com has this to say about Polk,
"Everything comes down to ball skills with Polk. There may not be a better set of hands in the entire class. Polk is a natural mover, and his ability to go up for the ball in the air is effortless ... Thanks in part to his long arms, Polk excels at attacking the ball at its highest point. He is aggressive in finding the ball before defensive backs can, and he plays with flawless catching technique.
Bleacher Report rakes Polk as the eighth-best wide receiver in the class. He'll likely slot right into a #2 receiver position for the Pats. Since they addressed quarterback and offensive tackle first, the team will likely have to go into the free agency market for a true, No. 1 receiver, and they have plenty of spendable cash to get one there.
There's a quick 3-round post-Bill Belichick draft that sets up the Patriots to complete the entire draft and begin a total restructuring of their dismal offense. As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will the next Patriots' title-contending team. But the first three picks in 2024 will add top-quality to the offense, and that's where it all begins.