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University of Washington Huskies Football

Ja’Lynn Polk 1st of 3 Huskies off the board on Day 2 of NFL draft

A tipped pass falls into the hands of Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk, who scores in the second quarter to give the Huskies a 21-14 lead over Texas on Monday. The second-seeded Huskies played the third-seeded Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl, the semifinal game of the College Football Playoffs, at the Superdome in New Orleans. (Tribune News Service)
Percy Allen Seattle Times

SEATTLE – On Day 2 of the NFL draft, Washington Huskies receiver Ja’Lynn Polk didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called.

The New England Patriots selected Polk with the fifth pick in the second round (37th overall) on Friday night, which pairs the former UW wideout with quarterback Drake Maye who was taken a day earlier at No. 3 overall.

About an hour later, UW offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten was taken with the 30th pick in the second round (62nd overall) by the Baltimore Ravens, edge rusher Bralen Trice went off the board when the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the 10th pick (74th overall) in the third round, and wide receiver Jalen McMillan was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 92nd.

“Man, they’re getting a beast,” Polk said during a news conference. “A dude that loves football, loves his teammates. Ready to build. A very eclectic person.”

The Patriots didn’t have a player with at least 600 receiving yards last season and prioritized upgrading an offense that ranked 28th in the NFL with 180.5 receiving yards per game.

After starting his career at Texas Tech, Polk, a Lufkin, Texas, native spent three seasons at Washington where he totaled 115 receptions, 1,967 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions.

Last season, Polk was a key contributor on a prolific UW offense that ranked 12th in the nation in yards per game and carried the Huskies (14-1) to the College Football Playoff championship game.

He had 69 catches for 1,159 yards — the sixth-most receiving yards in school history — and nine touchdowns, including seven games with at least 100 receiving yards.

At 6-5 and 308 pounds, Rosengarten made 28 career starts at right tackle and he’s expected to immediately compete for a starting job with the Ravens.

Meanwhile, Trice, a 6-3½ and 245-pound pass rusher will reunite with Husky quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who was taken No. 8 overall by the Falcons and former UW coach Jimmy Lake who is Atlanta’s defensive coordinator.

The Falcons drew criticism from league observers for not addressing its defensive needs in the first round and Trice with expectations to immediately upgrade a defensive line that tied for 21st in the NFL with 42 seacks last year.

Trice had 49 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery last season with the Huskies.

Trice and McMillan are the sixth and seventh Huskies, respectively, to be taken in the NFL draft following quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who went No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons, receiver Rome Odunze who was taken No. 9 by the Chicago Bears, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu who was chosen No. 20 by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As many as 16 Huskies could be taken in this year’s NFL draft, which would surpass UW’s record of 10 in 1998.