The Patriots‘ WR corp this season? It was rough. Like, “who’s even catching passes this week?” kind of rough. No true WR1, no real chemistry, and definitely no jaw-dropping plays that made you think, “Yeah, this guy’s HIM.” And the numbers don’t lie either—no receiver even cracked 500 yards. That’s brutal. The reason? Oh, there’s many. Injuries, inconsistent QB plays from Drake Maye, and rough coaching decisions, all played their role in this mess.

But if there’s one person who got caught in this mess? It was the rookie wide receiver, Ja’Lynn Polk. He was the kite dancing in a hurricane. To simplify this, he’s by far the worst starting wideout in the league this season. Huh! That’s not the start you want for your professional career, right? Hell nah! Let’s not be overly dramatic. I mean, it wasn’t just Polk’s fault for a disastrous season. The WR coach played an Oscar-winning supporting role—at least that’s what Steve Smith Sr. believes.

A few days ago, Smith along with James Palmer talked about what Polk was missing throughout most of his freshman season on his YouTube channel. And according to him, it’s the Patrots’ former associate WR coach, Tiquan Underwood, who set back Ja’Lynn Polk. He stated, “That explains a lot now. I’m stuck on the [Tiquan] Underwood. Now I’m like, ‘Oh I see where he got that from.’ My bad. Not his fault for real…That’s like an elephant trying to teach a dolphin to swim!”

Translation? Smith believes that just because Underwood is a former NFL wide receiver, that does not mean he’s capable of being a good wide receiver coach. True. Sure, the guy has a coaching experience both in college football and the NFL. But the thing is, he didn’t have experience coaching a WR in the NFL. One of the reasons why Polk was coached poorly throughout his rookie season.

Now Smith believes that the New England team took their time while developing the QB, Drake Maye, into a starting QB. But on the flip side, they had the opposite approach with Polk. The sportscaster broke that down easily—Maye got eased in, step-by-step. But Polk? Nah, the team threw at him all at once—like he was Jon Snow in the Battle of Bastards, with no backup in sight.

The result? In the first six games, the rookie just recorded 10 passes on 23 targets for just 78 yards and one touchdown. By the season’s end, he wrapped up his rookie year for 87 yards with just 2 TDs. Not a great star, sure, but looks like the QB still trusts his WR.

Drake Maye believes in Ja’Lynn Polk

Drake Maye didn’t have the kind of season that he might have hoped for when the Patriots drafted him with the 3rd overall pick last year. However, entering his sophomore year in the NFL, he surely wants to level up his game. After all, we’re talking about the Patriots’ legacy here—can’t let that go up in flames. But he can’t do the job alone, can he?

Of course, he requires weapons if the Patriots want to reclaim the throne and win Lombardi. With that being said, the team needs to build a strong O-line in the 2025 season. And when asked who would be the next guy to step up for the New England team in 2025, Maye pointed out a couple of names. “We brought in two rookie receivers, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, that were feeling it out this year,” Maye said while appearing on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast. “They both battled some injuries. Hopefully expecting one of them — if not both — to make a splash this year.”

Well, we already know about the disastrous freshmen season of Polk. But Baker? Well, his season was even miserable. The guy managed just a single catch and called pack up for his rookie season. But of course, being a quarterback, it’s Maye’s job to trust his receiver, especially when those receivers entered the gridiron with him. “The guys came up with me — they’re receivers and quarterback-receivers, it’s my job to get them the football,” he further said.

“But also, I think it’s their job, and they know, to get their stuff together. Get to lifting hard, running hard, and practicing hard. There’s a different way to practice in the NFL. It takes something off your body, but you’re still expected to be full speed, expected to be in the right spot, expected to line up right.” Hmm, it’s gonna be good for the Patriots if both the WRs bounce back in 2025.

However, New England has an option to pick the star WR, Travis Hunter, in the draft considering their fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Besides, the team’s got a hefty salary cap space in 2025. There you go. Drake Maye and the team have plenty of options to build a strong O-line this year.