Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots wide receiver heading into his second NFL season.
After using the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on quarterback Drake Maye, the New England Patriots tried to surround him with some weapons. One was second-round wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, the other was fourth-round pick Javon Baker.
Polk’s first year as a Patriots was quiet, and yet he still managed to outperform Baker — a player who already finds himself under some pressure entering his sophomore campaign.
Name: Javon Baker
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: 6
Opening day age: 23 (2/18/2002)
Measurements: 6’1 1/4”, 202 lbs, 78 1/4” wingspan, 32 1/4” arm length, 9 5/8” hand size, 4.54s 40-yard dash, 37” vertical jump, 10’1” broad jump, 7.83 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2024-) | College: Alabama (2020-21), UCF (2022-23)
Baker was a highly-productive pass catcher and All-America selection during his high school career at McEachern in his hometown of Atlanta, GA. The four-star recruit then decided to join the University of Alabama after receiving offers from several prominent Power-5 programs. His time with the Crimson Tide, however, was short-lived.
In two seasons in Tuscaloosa, Baker appeared in 21 games with no starts and caught just nine passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Following the 2021 season, he therefore decided that a change of scenery was in order. After initially committing to Kentucky, he instead decided to transfer to UCF.
Baker spent his junior and senior campaigns with the Knights under head coach Gus Malzahn, and developed into the player he was supposed to become coming out of high school. Between his 2022 and 2023 campaigns, he saw action in 27 games and caught 108 passes for 1,935 yards and 12 touchdowns. A first-team All-Big 12 selection, he ended up getting selected 110th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Patriots.
Serving as a depth receiver and part-time return man, Baker saw action in 11 games as a rookie.
Strengths: Baker offers solid athleticism with a workable frame and what was some of the best body control in the 2024 NFL Draft; his concentration and hand-eye coordination were exceptional coming out of college, as was his ability to track deep balls in the air. He can make catches outside his natural frame, and possesses some yards-after-the-catch potential. He also has a natural feel for acceleration and tempo manipulation through his routes, and combines it with the timing and physicality to out-jump and/or out-muscle defenders in contested catch situations.
Weaknesses: Baker has some solid athleticism but lacks any true blue-chip traits that would give him a clear advantage versus NFL-caliber opponents. His burst and quickness are adequate at best, and mostly on-an-off, and he also can get overwhelmed at the point of attack both against man-to-man coverage and as a run blocker. His route running and anticipation of coverage are a major work in progress, and seemingly limited his level of comfort throughout his first year...
