Cornerback was a sneaky need on the New England Patriots’ roster entering the 2025 offseason, and they made sure to address it. Besides handing out a big-money deal to veteran free agent Carlton Davis, the team also brought in a handful of rookies to compete for depth spots. Among them is Jordan Polk.
Hard facts
Name: Jordan Polk
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number: 39
Opening day age: 24 (2/2/2001)
Measurements: 5’11”, 189 lbs, 78 7/8” wingspan, 33 3/8” arm length, 8 5/8” hand size, 4.52s 40-yard dash, 7.10s 3-cone drill, 4.34s short shuttle, 30” vertical jump, 10’1” broad jump, 12 bench press reps, 4.61 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Texas A&M University-Commerce (2019-23), Texas State (2024)
Despite offering experience and versatility as a cornerback/safety hybrid, Polk flew under the radar coming out of Lamar High School in Arlington, TX. He ended up joining Texas A&M University-Commerce (which was renamed to East Texas A&M in 2024) as a no-star recruit in 2019 and ended up spending five years with the Lions.
Polk transferred to Texas State in 2024 to add 13 more games to his tally. Over the total course of his six-year college career, he appeared in 39 games with 26 starts and registered two interceptions as well as six forced fumbles with two recoveries.
Polk was not selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but signed a rookie free agent deal with the Patriots shortly thereafter.
Scouting report
Strengths: Despite average height for a cornerback, Polk offers impressive length. His 78 7/8-inch wingspan has him in the 91 percentile for his position group, with his 33 3/8-inch arm length putting him in the 95 percentile. He combines his long reach with a powerful and targeted punch, allowing him to force six fumbles over the course of his career and to stay competitive at the catch point. A physical player, Polk also has had some good production as a blitzer (5 career sacks) and improved his tackling each season in college.
Weaknesses: While he does have some advantages due to his length, Polk is only an adequate athlete overall at the cornerback position. He lacks any standout traits both when it comes to linear movements and change of direction, and possesses average burst, suddenness or reactionary quickness. His ball production as a coverage defender also was nothing to write home about, with Polk intercepting only two passes in six seasons.
2024 review
Stats: 13 games (13 starts) | 704 defensive snaps, 49 special teams snaps | 69 tackles, 10 missed tackles (12.7%), 5.5 TFLs, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries | 44 targets, 33 catches (75.0%), 317 yards, 2 PBUs | 9 quarterback pressures (2 sacks, 5 hits, 2 hurries) | 1 special teams tackle, 0 missed tackles
Season recap: After spending the first five years of his college career at Texas A&M University-Commerce, Polk decided to take advantage of the NCAA’s special eligibility rules and to go for a change of scenery. Entering the transfer portal in May as a three-star player, it took him less than three weeks to find a new home: he joined Texas State for his final season.
A hybrid slot cornerback and box safety, Polk immediately earned a starting role in the Bobcats’ secondary. He went on to start all 13 of his new school’s games and led the team in defensive snaps (704) as well as tackles (69) and forced fumbles (4) — all new career marks as well.
His per-game fumble production (0.31/game) ranked eighth among all NCAA defenders and second in the Sun Belt Conference. Add the fact that he also notched one recovery, a pair of sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss, and you get a defender whose inclusion in the all-conference team as an honorable mention was well deserved.
2025 preview
Position: Slot CB | Ability: Camp body/Practice squad candidate | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? Polk saw action at multiple spots during his time in college, but he was primarily used as a slot cornerback — a role he also is projected to play for the Patriots. While not a starter-caliber option at this point in his career, he will compete for a rotational and special teams role during his rookie training camp.
What is his growth potential? Entering the NFL at age 24 and with six seasons of college experience under his belt (even though he only saw the field in four of them), Polk might be closer to his ceiling than other members of the Patriots’ rookie class. That does not mean he won’t be able to develop into a serviceable nickel defender, at least with some additional seasoning at the NFL level.
Does he have positional versatility? Polk played a multi-faceted role at both Texas A&M University-Commerce and Texas State, lining up mostly in the slot but also split out wide, off the ball in the box and on the defensive line. He furthermore registered five career special teams tackles while gaining varying degrees of experience on five different kicking game units (mostly field goal/extra point block, punt return and kickoff coverage).
What is his salary cap situation? Joining the Patriots as a rookie free agent, Polk signed a deal that currently has only a marginal impact on the team’s 2025 salary cap. His $840,000 base salary is complemented by a $3,333 signing bonus proration for a resulting cap hit of $843,333 — a number not big enough to qualify for Top 51 status. As a consequence, only his fully-guaranteed signing bonus proration is currently counted versus New England’s cap. Polk furthermore has a $35,000 salary guarantee in his deal this year, even though that number is not yet relevant for cap purposes.
How safe is his roster spot? Given his status as a UDFA as well as the fact that he played a relatively minor role during the five offseason practices open to the media, Polk projects to be firmly on the roster bubble heading toward training camp. He might have to set his sights for the practice squad, but even that is not a guarantee given that New England currently has eight players fighting for spots behind the top trio of Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones.
Summary: Polk has some intriguing traits, including his pterodactyl-like wingspan and ability to make plays in the opposing backfield. However, he will need to adjust quickly to a serious jump in competition and make the most out of every practice rep he is going to get in training camp and preseason in order to build a case for himself.
What do you think about Jordan Polk heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.