New Orleans Saints teaching workers might be necessary to Ja’Lynn Polk’s future growth
Buying and selling for Polk is a wager on Kellen Moore and the Saints teaching workers, significantly huge receivers coach Keith Williams and assistant huge receivers coach Kyle Valero, to get probably the most out of valued 2024 NFL Draft prospect.
The second-rounder broke out in 2023 with the Washington Huskies, the place he had 69 receptions, 1,159 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. Polk was a non-factor as a rookie a season in the past, showing in 15 video games (seven begins) and ending the season with 12 receptions, 87 yards and two touchdowns. Per ESPN Analytics, he had the second-lowest general receiving rating amongst 116 huge receivers in 2024.
Polk should take vital strides to carve out a significant function for himself within the NFL, but when he comes near approaching the manufacturing that made him a Day 2 draft decide, he’ll be a steal going for a sixth-round choice. In any other case, New Orleans threw away a future decide.
It speaks to the workforce’s confidence within the teaching workers that it could even take a flier on a participant like Polk. Why commerce for an injured, struggling receiver if there are doubts about its capability to develop him?
Polk is the second receiver on a rookie contract the Saints have acquired up to now month. Earlier than groups lower all the way down to their 53-man rosters, New Orleans acquired receiver Devaughn Vele from the Denver Broncos.
The Saints, who entered the season with the league’s lowest projected over-under win complete (4.5), are nowhere close to contending. By spending future draft capital on Polk, New Orleans made that even clearer. The deal reveals the Saints aren’t making an attempt to construct a playoff workforce this season, however slightly scouring for expertise for future seasons, when the outlook is perhaps brighter.
The possibilities of Polk figuring issues out cannot be any decrease than New Orleans utilizing that 2027th sixth-rounder on a difference-maker, so it is exhausting to fault the entrance workplace for taking a swing. He definitely has extra upside than anybody the Saints might add late in Day 3 of the draft. However except they’ve the proper teaching infrastructure, Saturday’s commerce may very well be a wasted alternative.
