Ja'Lynn Polk

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	Ja'Lynn Polk	Wide Receiver	Washington	3-Star Recruit (89)	RS Junior
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3	Positional Rank	Grade	Height	Weight	2023 PFF Grade
4	11	Late 3rd	6'1	203	75.2
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6	Year	Targets	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
7	2023	108	69	1159	9
8	2022	68	41	694	6
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10	Year	Wide Snaps	Slot Snaps	Catch Percentage	Yards / Reception
11	2023	317	222	63.89%	16.80
12	2022	254	152	60.29%	16.93
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14	Overview:
15	Strengths:	Notes:
16	Route Tree	While he was not often asked to run complex routes with Washington, it is clear that he is comfortable at all levels of the field regardless of whether he lines up on the inside or outside.
17	Release Footwork	Although not tremendously explosive, Polk almost runs routes even crisper when a corner is lined up on him. He is sudden at the line, and understands how to defeat press.
18	Catching Over the Middle	He makes the catch in traffic and puts his body on the line to do so as well as anybody in class.
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20	Weaknesses:	Notes:
21	Second Break	He gains great positioning against press on his release, but does not create much initial separation. More refined route runners understand how to use that positioning to gain an advantage on proceeding route breaks, which Polk does not do as reliably.
22	Intermediate Separation	His footwork and suddenness on intermediate routes needs work.
23	Hips on Pivots	He typically stays too high on his cuts, and his footwork is inconsistent when changing directions.
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25	Film
26	Game	Takeaways				Notes:
27	Oregon (10/14/2023) Statline: 6-118-1	Attempting to block, but not a great rep. Dropstep. Followed blockers well on screen. Sudden release and acceleration out of split step, but hips stay awfully high. Not asked to do much until touchdown play late in the fourth quarter. Great route into the soft spot. Diverse effective route tree, but not often asked to run complex routes. Understands a variety of releases, but could be cleaner on all of them. False moves don't typically rotate the corner's hips outside. Very sure hands on snag (0 drops through first 7 games up to this point). Better false move, but still could put hips more into it. Route breaks beyond the line are not exceptionally crisp. Not the fastest in the open field, but definitely fast enough. Again, active blocker. Must learn to utilize his foot quickness more effectively. Very good initial break upon release to gain positioning, but does not use that positioning to separate at the proceeding route break. Does not subtly change angles to maximize separation. Impressive with the ball in his hands. Diverse release package, but needs to be a bit more explosive out of first step (which he is physically capable of doing). Excellent mid route move on deep ball to create separation.				Very close to being very good, but it is not all there just yet. Late 3rd with the potential to rise significantly if he figures out how to maximize separation on his second break.
28	Utah (11/11/2023) Statline: 4-55-0	Not too sudden laterally. Excellent contested catch. Strong arms at the catch point. Not really separating on any route. Good block. Inside/outside versatility. Body movements when deceleration are not as clean. Impressive after the catch.				Day three tape. Dropping grade into the fifth round. Developmental receiver who likely will not make a huge impact right away.
29	Texas (01/01/2024) Statline: 5-122-1	Did not put too much into false move. Decent second break, but not great with the double move. Lacks top-end speed despite often running deep. Slowed at the line too significantly when contact is made. Stays high on release and pivots, not really exploding out of his stance. Decent after the catch, but not overly explosive. Great slip at the line. Highly willing blocker, but technique is a work in progress.				Late third round grade. Lower floor, but has highly enticing attributes and mentality.
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31	Attributes		Grade / 100	Notes
32	Separation	Short	59	The only shorter routes where he finds separation are hitches into off coverage and drags over the middle.
33		Medium	66	His ability to make plays on the ball in small windows is highly impressive, but he does not often separate cleanly on his intermediate route breaks.
34		Deep	70	While he lacks the speed to reliably pull away from defensive backs, his nuance on deeper routes from the slot allows him to find deep separation more than expected. This grade should be higher based on college tape, but he will have a much more difficult time creating the same space against superior NFL competition.
35	Release	Stance	95	Nearly optimal stance on most plays.
36		Acceleration	71	He has good suddenness at the line, but his burst to top speed is rathrer unimpressive.
37		Footwork	81	He has room to improve with his footwork and is occasionally inefficient off the line.
38	Hands	Catch reliability	90	Not immune to concentration drops, but typically great hands in nearly every situation.
39		Catch radius	93	He has good height at 6'2 and can absolutely go airborne to make the outstretched catch away from his body.
40		Contested catch	91	Elite in traffic, but his 54.2% contested catch rate is not superb.
41	RAC	Athleticism	78	Decently athletic, but is not overwhelmingly fast or twitchy.
42		Agility	74	He can force missed tackles, but his lateral agility is average at best.
43		Contact balance	86	Difficult to bring down in the open field with arm tackles.
44	Blocking	Technique	91	Not the best blocker just yet, but he is always in the way.
45	Blocking	Willingness	99	He will square up and attack defensive ends, run full force at linebackers, and drive defensive backs out of the boundary when necessary.
46	Coverage	Press	85	Excellent in college, but may lack the burst to separate as reliably in the NFL. His catch point prowess into man coverage is what made him great at Washington.
47	Coverage	Off	80	His spacing and decisions on where to sit in coverage could improve, but is highly effective on drag and slant routes versus zone coverage.
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49	Final Scouting Report
50	Ja'Lynn Polk is one of the most fearless receivers to come out of college in several years. His willingness to leap and dive to make a reception and hang onto it with multiple defenders bearing down on him is borderline insanity. His separation may not be reliable at any level of the field, but his footwork allows him to gain positioning at the line so that he can better utilize his frame when needed in contested catch situations. He is decent after the catch with strong legs and adequate agility, and will always put himself in front of defenders when it comes to blocking for his teammates. He is not the consistent separator that is overtaking the league in the current era, but provides an old school style and mentality that should find him a role doing the dirty work over the middle for more physical football teams. Despite having boundary receiver size, Polk is likely best suited to play in the slot. His ability to catch in traffic and pluck the ball out of the air on seam routes should translate well to the NFL. His route tree from the slot is already more complete than it is on the outside, and he is an excellent blocker in terms of the effort he puts into extending the play. While his lack of elite explosiveness will show up anywhere on the field, he will be able to compensate with the use of his frame and crisp footwork from the slot. While his footwork against press coverage is often rather effective, he still gets slowed down too significantly when jammed at the line. Without having elite speed or acceleration, this takes him out of too many plays entirely. From the slot, he can be a reliable chain mover with the upside of his deep ball understanding when working between the safeties. He will likely never be a number one outside wide receiver, but should provide value over the middle and play with the aggression and tenacity that every coach craves in the NFL.
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52	Playstyle
53	Best Route	Seam Route. He has great hands on balls coming directly over his shoulder, and will stretch to make a play downfield even if it means getting blown up by the safety.
54	Worst Route	Out Route. His breaks are high, and he does not create much separation on acute route breaks. He is better over the middle with more room and fearlessness, but he does not create space on the outside.
55	Pro Comparison	Tyler Boyd. Boyd was a bit better underneath into zone coverage, but Polk is better over the top.
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