Ja’Lynn Polk 1st of 4 Huskies off the board on Day 2 of NFL draft

Not surprisingly, the two teams that played in the College Football Playoffs championship game are crushing the first two days of the NFL draft.

Washington, which lost 34-13 to Michigan in January, have each had seven players taken in the first three rounds, which ties for the most among college teams.

On Day 2, Huskies receiver Ja’Lynn Polk didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called.

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

“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 28^th 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 12^th in the nation in yards per game and carried the Huskies to a 14-1 record and 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.

About an hour after Polk went off the board, UW offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten was taken with the 30^th pick in the second round (62^nd overall) by the Baltimore Ravens and edge rusher Bralen Trice went off the board when the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the 10^th pick (74^th overall) in the third round.

The run on the Huskies ended Friday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took receiver Jalen McMillan with the 29^th pick (92^nd overall) in the third round.

Rosengarten, 6-5 and 308 pounds, made 28 career starts at right tackle, and is expected to compete for a starting job.

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, now Atlanta’s defensive coordinator.

The Falcons drew criticism from league observers for not addressing their defensive needs in the first round and Trice heads to Atlanta with expectations to immediately upgrade a defensive line that tied for 21^st in the NFL with 42 sacks 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.

Three Huskies were taken on the draft’s first day: Penix, receiver Rome Odunze, who was taken at No. 9 by the Chicago Bears, and offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, who was chosen 20th 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.

The NFL draft concludes Saturday with rounds 4-7.