New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo discussed rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk’s struggles through the first six games of the season, when speaking with media members on Monday.
Polk dropped multiple balls and only caught one pass for four yards in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans. The Washington product has had trouble catching the ball. So far, he only has 10 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown on 23 targets.
“I think he just needs to get over this mental hump,” said Mayo, via Pro Football Network’s Dakota Randall. “You’ve gotta eliminate the dropped passes. You’ve gotta be better blocking — which he did a great job in college at that, and at times throughout the season.
“He just has to continue to grow. He has to work harder. He has to pay more attention to the details. And we fully expect him to grow into a receiver that’s dependable on run and pass downs.”
Much of the Patriots’ offensive unit is continuing to develop in real time. Struggles and adjustment periods are bound to happen.
Patriots fans are hopeful that Polk can put things together and become the key contributor the team believed he would be when drafting him in the second round.
