With another month to go before the Patriots are back on the field for training camp, it’s firmly speculation season in New England, where the 53-man roster is taking shape but far from set. While there will be position battles set up across the field, the contours of the team are pretty well set.
Except in one room. That is, of course, the wide-receiver room, where a pair of veteran signees–Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins–will join rookie third-round pick Kyle Williams and undrafted rookie sensation Efton Chism to put the jobs of most of the incumbents from 2024’s very weak receiving crop in jeopardy.
Last year’s leading receiver, DeMario Douglas, is pretty much a lock. But if he makes the roster, plus the five new guys mentioned above, then the team will be looking at five players filling what is usually six, sometimes seven, spots. With Kayshon Boutte showing some promise last season and veteran Kendrick Bourne a reliable piece, there may not be much room for others.
Ja’Lynn Polk Struggled as a Rookie
If that is the pool the Patriots are choosing from then it could be a stunning development for the 2024 draft. That’s because the team used a second-round pick on a wide receiver, taking Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk. In 15 games last season, Polk caught just 12 passes for 87 yards. PFF graded him No. 133 out of 133 wide receivers for 2024.
That’s pretty safely in “bust” territory, though it hardly seems fair to size up Polk based on the dysfunction of 2024. What’s worse is that the team also used a fourth-round pick to choose Javon Baker from Central Florida, and he’s on thin ice this summer, too.
According to Boston Herald beat writer Doug Kyed, the receiver room is shaping up as a longshot for both 2024 draftees.
Patriots Keeping 7 WRs?
In projecting the Patriots roster this weekend, Kyed did give the Patriots a seven-player receiving corps, which is a lot. But Polk was not among the seven, and neither was Baker.
His picks: “Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Efton Chism (R), Stefon Diggs, Demario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams (R)”
And his reasoning: “The Patriots have kept seven wide receivers in the past, and it’s simply too hard to cull more players from this group. Bourne, Boutte and Douglas saw the most first-team reps this spring. That tells you about their placement on the depth chart. Diggs, who was limited this spring, and Hollins, who was a non-participant, are locks as top free-agent additions. Williams is also a lock as a 2025 third-round pick.
“If the Patriots keep a seventh wide receiver, that choice comes down to Chism, Javon Baker, Demeer Blankumsee, John Jiles, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jeremiah Webb. Chism showed the most this spring. Baker was mostly running with the third team. … Polk has every opportunity to make us look stupid this summer in training camp. The 2024 second-round pick was a fantastic college player, but he flashed very little as a rookie last season.”
