For the first time since 2013, the New England Patriots selected two wide receivers within the first four rounds of the NFL Draft - Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Polk was a second-round pick for the Patriots (37th overall), and Baker was a fourth-round selection (110th overall).
Polk and Baker are pass-catchers who complement each other well and are projected to be an explosive one-two punch to bring dynamism to a currently lacking Patriots wide receiver room. However, should the Patriots expect to get long-term production from their two rookie receivers?
History says it is unlikely. Let's take a look at each team that double-dipped on receivers within the first four rounds of the draft since 2010, and whether or not they were able to keep both players beyond their rookie contracts.
New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk. Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
2023:
The 2023 NFL Draft saw just one team select two receivers within the first four rounds: the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers selected Quentin Johnston with the 21st pick of the draft and later chose Derius Davis with the 125th selection.
While it is too early to determine whether or not they will remain with the Chargers beyond their rookie contracts, both players had a disappointing rookie year. Johnston caught just 38 passes for 431 yards, while Davis caught 15 passes for 66 yards.
2022:
This draft class saw two teams double-dip at receiver, as the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers both drafted two receivers early. The Packers took Christian Watson with the 34th pick of the draft and Romeo Doubs with the 132nd selection. The Steelers took George Pickens with the 52nd pick and Calvin Austin with the 138th.
Each are solid players but, once again, have not played out their rookie contracts and are too young to sign contract extensions to return to their respective teams following their rookie contracts expire.
2021:
The finale of the "too young to tell" group. In 2021 two teams selected two receivers within the first four rounds of the draft. The Ravens took Rashod Bateman with the 27th pick of the draft and Tylan Wallace with the 131st pick. The Rams drafted Tutu Atwell with the 57th selection and Jacob Harris with the 141st.
Bateman, Wallace, and Atwell are yet to fully play out their rookie contracts. After their deals are over, Bateman and Wallace could both potentially return to the Ravens. While Atwell also may individually stay with the Rams, he will not be doing so with Harris. Harris' first two NFL seasons included time on injured reserve and the practice squad and is no longer playing for the Rams.
2020:
2020 was a disaster for teams drafting multiple receivers, with the five receivers selected by the Raiders and Broncos being moved on from before the end of their rookie contracts. The Raiders selected Henry Ruggs III with the 12th pick of the draft, Lynn Bowden Jr. with the 80th pick, and Bryan Edwards with the 81st. The Broncos took Jerry Juedy with the 15th pick and K.J. Hamler with the 46th.
Ruggs was let go by the Raiders in the middle of his sophomore season due to legal issues, Bowden Jr. was traded before the first game of his rookie season, and Edwards was traded after two years with the team that drafted him. Similarly, the Broncos traded Jerry Juedy after his fourth season and waived Hamler before his fourth year.
2019:
Four teams drafted two receivers early in the 2019 Draft: while some of these receivers have found success, none of the four duos had both receivers retained by their original team. The Ravens took Marquise Brown with the 25th pick and Miles Boykin with the 93rd. The 49ers drafted Deebo Samuel with the 36th pick and Jalen Hurd with the 67th. The Cardinals selected Andy Isabella with the 62nd draft choice and Hakeem Butler with the 103rd. Finally, the Seahawks drafted D.K. Metcalf with the 64th selection and Gary Jennings Jr. with the 120th.
Only two of these eight players stayed with their respective teams beyond their rookie deals. Samuel and Metcalf are among some of the best receivers in the league and signed rich contract extensions to remain where they were drafted. On the other hand, the Ravens traded Brown and cut Boykin after their third season together, the 49ers released Hurd midway through his third season, the Cardinals waived Isabella after his third year and Butler after his rookie year, while the Seahawks waived Jennings during his rookie year.
Although Samuel and Metcalf have had impressive NFL careers, none of the four teams successfully built long-term receiver duos with their premium draft selections in the same year.
2018:
Only one team double-dipped at receiver within the first four rounds this year. With the 40th draft selection, the Denver Broncos took Courtland Sutton. After, with the 113th pick, they selected Deasean Hamilton.
Sutton was a great selection for Denver, and signed a 4-year contract extension in 2021 to remain with the Broncos through the 2025 season. Hamilton, however, had less success with the Broncos: after suffering a torn ACL in the 2021 off-season, Hamilton was waived with an injury designation and reverted to the reserve list after clearing waivers. In the 2022 off-season, Hamilton was released by the Broncos a second time.
2017:
2017 continued the trend of teams being unable to develop and/or retain both of their receivers following the expiration of their rookie contracts. Four teams fit the bill this season. The Titans took Corey Davis with the 5th pick of the draft and Taywan Taylor with the 72nd pick. With the 9th pick of the draft, the Bengals took John Ross and followed it up by taking Josh Malone with the 128th selection. The Jets selected ArDarius Stewart with the 79th pick of the draft and Chad Hansen with the 141st. Finally, the Rams drafted Cooper Kupp with the 69th draft choice and Josh Reynolds with the 117th.
Kupp is the only player who was retained by his team following his rookie contract. Davis had his 5th-year option declined by the Titans and left in free agency, and Taylor was traded before his third season. Likewise, Ross left Cincinnati after his 5th-year option was declined, while Malone was waived before his third year. Stewart and Hansen each only had brief stints with the Jets: Stewart was waived part-way through his sophomore year and Hansen was waived before the beginning of his second season. Reynolds had a few impressive years with the Rams but walked in free agency following his contract expiring.
2016:
Two teams doubled up on receivers early in the 2016 draft, but none remained with their teams following their rookie contracts expiring. The Browns drafted Corey Coleman with the 15th pick of the draft and Ricardo Louis with the 114th, and the Texans took Will Fuller V with the 21st selection before taking Braxton Miller with the 85th.
Despite being a first-round pick, the Browns traded Coleman before his third season for a seventh-round draft selection. Additionally, Louis missed the entirety of his third season due to an injury and was let go before his fourth. With the Texans, Fuller was productive and had his fifth-year option picked up but walked in free agency. His
draft-mate, Miller, was waived before his third season.
2014:
Despite 2015 seeing zero double-dips within the first four rounds of the draft, 2014 had five teams do so. The Jaguars took Marqise Lee with the 39th pick and Allen Robinson with the 61st. The Eagles drafted Jordan Matthews with the 42nd selection and later took Josh Huff with the 86th pick. The Seahawks selected Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood with the 45th and 123rd picks. Jalen Saunders and Shaquelle Evans were a pair of fourth-round Jets rookies, taken with picks 104 and 115. Lastly, Dri Archer was picked by the Steelers with the 97th pick before they selected Martavis Bryant with pick 118.
Lee and Robinson were among the most dominant receiver duos from the same draft class in the 2010s: Lee's best season in Jacksonville was his third year where he caught 63 passes for 851 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Robinson's second year consisted of 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. Despite this success, Robinson did not return to the Jaguars following the expiration of his rookie contract, instead opting to sign with the Bears. Moreover, while Lee did earn a contract extension, he only caught three passes in his two seasons playing under this contract extension due to season-ending knee injuries in both years. Halfway through his new deal, he was released.
In Philadelphia, Matthews eclipsed 800 receiving yards in his three seasons with the Eagles but was traded before his fourth year on the team. Moreover, Huff was an impressive kickoff returner for the Eagles but was released during his third season due to legal troubles. Additionally, Richardson played out the entirety of his rookie contract with the Seahawks but walked in free agency afterward, and Norwood was traded by Seattle before his second season. For the Jets, Saunders played only three games before being let go by New York, while Evans was also released before ever playing a snap with the team that drafted him. Finally, Archer was waived by the Steelers in the middle of his second season and Bryant played in Pittsburgh for three years before getting traded to the Raiders.
Once again, despite some successes in the draft, none of these teams retained both of their receivers beyond the players' rookie contract.
2013:
Three teams - including the Patriots - took two receivers within the first four rounds of the 2013 draft. With the eighth pick of the draft the Rams selected Tavon Austin, and followed it up by taking Stedman Bailey with the 92nd pick. The Bills took Robert Woods with the 41st selection before drafting Marquise Goodwin with the 78th. The Patriots paired up Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce with the 59th and 102nd.
Austin signed a 4-year contract extension in 2016 but restructured the deal to take a pay cut while also voiding the final three years of the contract, and was traded one month later. The Rams other draft choice, Bailey, unfortunately had his career cut short due to gunshot wounds he suffered during his third season in the league. Both Woods and Goodwin played out the entirety of their rookie contracts with the Bills but walked in free agency after. For the Patriots, Dobson was released before his fourth season in the league and Boyce was waived prior to his second season, but spent time that year on the practice squad.
2012:
Three teams fit the bill in 2012: the Rams, Texans, and Vikings. With the 33rd pick, the Rams took Brian Quick before taking Chris Givens with the 96th. DeVier Posey was the 68th overall pick with the Texans and Keshawn Martin was the 121st. The Vikings took two receivers in the fourth round, selecting Jarius Wright with the 118th pick and Greg Childs with the 134th.
Quick re-signed with the Rams on a 1-year deal after his rookie contract expired, and walked in free agency after that contract was over, while Givens was traded during his fourth year. Posey and Martin were both traded by the Texans after their third season with the team. Wright returned to the Vikings on a 4-year deal following his rookie contract but was released two seasons later, whereas Childs was injured for the entirety of his second season in Minnesota and was released after that year.
2011:
The Rams and Ravens were the only teams to select multiple receivers within the initial four rounds of the 2011 draft. The Rams took Austin Pettis with the 78th pick and Greg Salas with the 112th, while the Ravens selected Torrey Smith with the 58th selection and Tandon Doss with the 123rd.
Neither Pettis nor Salas finished their rookie contracts with the Rams, with Pettis being waived during his fourth season with the team and Salas getting traded prior to his second season. Smith played his first four seasons with the Ravens and rose to stardom as an 1,100-yard receiver, but walked in free agency after his fourth year. Doss was waived before his third season with the Ravens but re-signed with the team on a one-year deal a week later.
2010:
The 2010 draft had three teams draft two receivers early, with the Broncos, Buccaneers, and Panthers all double-dipping. The Broncos selected Demaryius Thomas with the 22nd pick of the draft and Eric Decker with the 87th. The Buccaneers took Arrelious Benn with the 37th draft choice and later took Mike Williams with the 101st. The Panthers took two third-round receivers in the draft, selecting Brandon LaFell with the 78th pick and Armanti Edwards with the 89th.
Thomas and Decker were both dominant receivers for the Broncos; however, despite Thomas spending nine seasons in Denver, Decker only played there for the first four years of his career before leaving in free agency once his rookie contract expired. Benn played three years with the Buccaneers but was traded after, while Williams was traded after his fourth season despite signing a contract extension the year before. With the Panthers, LaFell stayed with the team until his rookie contract expired - when he left to sign with the Patriots - and Edwards was released during his fourth year.
Putting it all together:
Since 2010, there have been thirty-four examples of teams being in a similar situation to the 2024 Patriots: with holes at receiver, these teams decided to use two premium draft picks on the position to set them up for the future.
Beyond their rookie contracts, zero of the thirty-four duos had both receivers retained by the team that drafted them. When not including recent examples who are yet to play out their rookie deals, the number becomes zero for 30.
While Polk and Baker may have success with the Patriots, previous situations have provided a basis that proves their collective efforts are improbable to remain in New England beyond their first four NFL seasons. The wide receiver duo has the chance to make history if they remain with the Patriots beyond the 2027 NFL season.
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