Devy Digest: Ja’Lynn Polk

The Devy Digest, featuring Washington Huskies wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk.

• Ja’Lynn Polk
• Position: Wide Receiver
• Washington Huskies
  
• 6’2” 204 lbs
  
• Age: 21
  
• Draft Eligible: 2024
  
• Devy Digest WR 2024 Draft Rank: 10

Who is Ja’Lynn Polk?

Ja’Lynn Polk was a 3⭐️ in the composites. He attended Lufkin High in Texas and finished second all-time in receptions and receiving yards, and third in touchdowns in school history. Polk originally committed to Texas Tech where he played as a True Freshman and was able to make headway into the rotation. However, he would transfer to Washington after his Freshman season where he would be a depth piece.

The very next year in 2022, Polk earned a role as the WR3. He was a deep threat specialist in Kalen DeBoer’s system. This past season, Polk once again worked as the third receiver, but earned more playing time due to the injury to Jalen McMillan. At one point, it seemed Polk would have to wait his turn to be the guy in 2025, but with McMillan out, Polk shined and showed he was ready for the 2024 NFL Draft. During the games that he filled in as the full time starter for McMillan, Polk would often outshine Rome Odunze; and once McMillan returned from his injury, Polk was still a focal point in that offense and ended up with seven games of over 100 receiving yards..

Strengths

Ja’Lynn Polk brings a good size and fluidity to his game. Being 6-foot-2, he can work as a boundary receiver and in the slot. Polk is twitchy and has fluid hips with enough creativity after the catch to be a true big slot at the next level. He can be used as a chess piece as he can work as a boundary receiver as well.

At Washington, he was used with short area touches – as well as more vertical routes. Polk is a good route runner who uses his short area burst and footwork to his advantage. He’s also a plus athlete with fluidity in his hips and nuance to his route running to win outside. Polk will use head fakes and footwork to manipulate his defender, and has the ability to show his hands late to avoid the corner getting his hands in the way. That is a trait that the NFL will love. Polk also has a knack to find another gear late to create separation against his defender to win on vertical routes. Polk has enough speed to be used vertically, but his greatest asset is his hands.

Ja’Lynn Polk possesses very strong hands. He will high point the ball and be on the plus side of contested catches with the ability to track the ball very well. Polk has enough twitch to win on manufactured touches and enough fluidity in his hips that he can be used on all three levels.

Areas of Improvement & Concern

Ja’Lynn Polk is not a finished product, which can be viewed as a positive to certain teams. Polk always had other receivers that he could work off of and was never the guy that opposing defenses had to put their focus on. He never lined up consistently against the opposing defenses best corner. In the National Championship game, Michigan had their CB Will Johnson line up against Polk. Polk was not a factor in that game and Will Johnson was able to keep him in check.

Another issue is that Polk could have benefitted from having a loaded WR room in an offense that is predicated on space. Space helped Polk, as he could use his vision to create and win. If Polk ends up in a more traditional offense, he may have a tough time adjusting to the play style in the NFL.

Polk also has struggled with bigger, more physical corners (like the aforementioned Will Johnson) and will need to learn to win against them. He needs to use a more diverse release package to avoid being pressed off the line and use more tempo in his routes. Polk needs to improve on knowing where to sit in zone coverages, and he is not an elite speed threat.

Beyond the Numbers

Ja’Lynn Polk lined up in the slot about 39% of the time in his two years at Washington and out wide about 60%. In his final season, Polk averaged 5.2 yards after the catch. Polk was used on more short to intermediate routes and his aDOT was 13.8 yards, whereas in 2022 it was nearly 16 yards. He has a career 1.95 yards per route ran and has been credited with 8 drops or a 5.3% rate for his collegiate career. Polk finished 2023 with a 54% win rate on contested catches.

Devy & C2C Value

In Devy drafts, he probably went late or not picked at all. In those leftover rookie drafts, Polk should absolutely be a top 5 pick in that format. If you did take Polk in Devy leagues, he should be a day two pick and could very well have an instant impact on the NFL side.

In C2C league startups in 2023, he was probably taken in the 20th round or later in a traditional format of 45 rounds. Polk was viewed as a 2025 asset until Jalen McMillan went down with an injury; and when he exploded onto the scene, it’s likely  you flipped him if you received a great offer. If you held on, being a likely day two guy, that is a win. He can be a flex option on the right team and should hold some value on the NFL side. If you’re looking to trade Polk or package him up for a proven asset, post-NFL Combine and his Pro Day should be the time that you do it. If you don’t find the right value, you could wait until the 2024 NFL Draft where he should be a Day 2 pick.

NFL Outlook

Expectations for Ja’Lynn Polk is Day 2 draft capital. It’s possible that he is one of the top 50 players taken in the NFL Draft. It’s a very deep receiving class with a lot of different skill sets. It’s possible a team could fall in love with Polk during the process and he could go early in the second round.

Polk has enough traits on film with enough versatility to work in the slot or as a boundary receiver. With Polk still being an unfinished product and someone that can be molded at the next level, an innovative offensive coordinator with a proven veteran at the position would be the best landing spot. Polk can learn the position and still use his current skill set to show he belongs on a team.

Due to his versatility, Polk is not landing spot dependent. He can work in the slot from day one so he doesn’t have to worry about being pressed by more physical corners – he can use his twitchiness to win from the slot. At the end of the day, I see Polk eventually moving out to the boundary position but has a chance to earn a role in the slot early on in the NFL.