Patriots Rookie Receivers Have Jerod Mayo Feeling ‘Excited’

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has been around for a while, so he’s quite familiar with New England’s lack of star power at the wide receiver position over the last several years.

It didn’t take him very long to try and remedy that once he was promoted, however.

The Patriots (and more specifically, Eliot Wolf) made two wide receiver selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, grabbing Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round and UCF’s Javon Baker in the fourth round.

Mayo seems to be pretty excited with the additions of both, especially Polk.

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“He’s one of those guys that isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. When we talk about the dirty work, obviously we have a good set of backs, but sometimes you need those receivers to come in there and kind of dig out and support, and he does that at a very high level,” Mayo said following the Patriots’ final selection.

“Let’s get to the meat and potatoes of Polk, though. He’s one of those guys who is a smooth route runner, has good hands, can do a lot of different things and he’s smart — and that’s one thing that we covet around here. He’s flexible, he can play in different spots and I’m excited to see him out there.”

Baker isn’t some slouch, though. Mayo praised his attitude and dedication to football, which were on full display in his introductory call with local media.

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“Javon, look, you talk about run after catch, all right? The run after catch, this guy is aggressive and I would say Bake(r) is all about ball,” Mayo said. “He’s all ball, which I can appreciate, and you can see the passion come through when you watch him on film.”

Polk and Baker will enter training camp with a real opportunity ahead of them, as Drake Maye will need someone to step up and become his top target. It’s up in the air as to who that will be, but given the familiarity all the rookies have with each other, it very well could be the young wideout duo.

“It’s two guys that obviously have different skill sets, but at the same time will help our team going forward,” Mayo said.