Carolina Panthers 2024 NFL Draft scouting report: Ja'Lynn Polk

How would Ja’Lynn Polk fit with the Carolina Panthers?

• Rotational starter/potential immediate impact player

Ja’Lynn Polk comes in on my rankings as WR6 and No. 27 overall. His alignment versatility and experience are significant components of why I view him as such an interesting prospect for the Carolina Panthers.

According to Pro Football Focus, he lined up as an outside receiver on 58.7 percent of snaps and in the slot for 41.1%. Dave Canales and new offensive coordinator Brad Idzik could see how Polk was deployed from every alignment and how he was implemented into the blocking concepts coming off shifts and motions, and feasibly view him as more valuable than some well-known prospects with standout physical traits.

As he works to progress against the press coverage, Polk is likely to find his most success right away as a Z/flanker with slot versatility. I potentially could see a Puka Nacua type of role for him on offense. And hey, everyone loved what the BYU prospect did during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams.

An interesting tie-in to Nacua came from Dane Brugler’s ‘The Beast’ publication - one of the reasons Polk chose Washington as his destination out of the transfer portal was because, at that time, Nacua was transferring to the Cougars.

If Canales is serious about committing to the run game to benefit Bryce Young and the Panthers' offense, he’ll need efficient blocking from the skill positions. Adam Thielen, Diontae Johnson, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette aren’t exactly world-beaters in that field. Jonathan Mingo was thought to be coming out of Ole Miss, but it remains to be seen what this staff thinks of the second-year player.

Finally, the offense could stand to bring in a tough, physical perimeter weapon. Polk is happy to go across the middle and face that traffic. He’s more than capable of handling fade routes in the red zone when given one-on-one opportunities with an opposing cornerback. When he wins off his release, he’s proficient in stacking the defender and using his conceptual understanding of leverage to facilitate the separation he needs to present his quarterback with an appealing target.

Not the flashiest of players, and not the sexiest of names right now, but could Polk prove to be the type of prospect the Panthers value? That and many other questions will be answered during the 2024 NFL Draft.