Patriots rookie wide receiver getting pre-season kudos

If a Patriots rookie is cited as a potential top draftee and slated for good things, it's always nice. If he's one any writer has pointed out prior, it's even better. If he delivers on the field, well, that speaks for itself! The Patriots have one, and he may be the only one the team needs.

Two media sources have flagged just such a rookie, a wide receiver no less, on the New England Patriots for special attention. Yes, Ja'Lynn Polk has been noticed, and he's a good one. But the player in focus here is the other wide receiver drafted by the Patriots this year, fourth-rounder Javon Baker.

Let's look at what these two sources have offered about the Patriots' young receiver and see if they have locked onto a possibility of a terrific pick by the New England Patriots in the 2024 NFL draft. Things could look up in the wide receiver room if they're right.

Javon Baker could be a huge surprise

First, bleacherrport.com has singled Baker out in their article, "7 Bold Predictions for 2024 NFL Training Camp". Seven bold predictions, and one is Javon Baker. We have to check this out. Here's part of what they had to say,

"Rookies who were taken in the fourth round of the draft are typically fighting to make the roster, get some playing time and be a special teams player. Carving out an actual role in an offense as a fourth-round receiver is hardly a given ... Yet Javon Baker has a good shot of doing just that in Patriots training camp."

When the Patriots selected a wide receiver, anyone, in the draft under Bill Belichick, the expectations were low. The higher the pick, the worse it usually was. But that era has passed, and Eliot Wolf is now controlling, and Eliot Wolf is now controlling personnel operations the personnel operation.

Wolf's two draftees, Polk and Baker, are getting nice reviews. In Baker's case, he was not happy about being a fourth-round pick. That's a good thing. Slights or perceived slights are a great motivator. He'll be well-determined to prove the rest of the NFL drafters wrong.

Additionally, one of Bakers' former coaches has chimed in with a thought. Here's what Franklin Stevens, Baker's high school coach has added as cited by NESN,

"'When I first met him, I thought he was a very talented, gifted kid,”' Stephens told NESN.com shortly after the New England Patriots selected Baker in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

'You’re thinking in the back of your mind, ‘Alright, this is a kid that has pro talent.'”

Pro talent as a high school player? That's a good signal, anytime. So now, in a short time, all that potential will be on display in the Patriots' summer camp, pre-season, and ultimately, the first game against the Bengals on September 8. The thought here is that Baker will fulfill these predictions in style. With Drake Maye at quarterback, who knows what could happen?

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