Patriots' Javon Baker: 'No Way in F--king America 10 WRs Better Than Me' in New Video
May 4, 2024
If confidence is a key to succeeding as an NFL wide receiver, the New England Patriots are going to be very happy with fourth-round pick Javon Baker.
In a video posted on his Instagram, Baker declared there is "no way in f--king America 10 receivers better than me."
On the one hand, Baker is humble enough to allow for the possibility that at least nine receivers in the draft are better than him because he was the 18th one off the board in the 2024 draft.
There's also a potentially awkward situation for the Patriots because the 10th receiver drafted was Ja'Lynn Polk by New England with the 37th overall pick.
Here is the full list of receivers selected ahead of Baker in the draft:
- Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 4 to Arizona Cardinals)
- Malik Nabers (No. 6 to New York Giants)
- Rome Odunze (No. 9 to Chicago Bears)
- Brian Thomas Jr. (No. 23 to Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Xavier Worthy (No. 28 to Kansas City Chiefs)
- Ricky Pearsall (No. 31 to San Francisco 49ers)
- Xavier Legette (No. 32 to Carolina Panthers)
- Keon Coleman (No. 33 to Buffalo Bills)
- Ladd McConkey (No. 34 to Los Angeles Chargers)
- Ja'Lynn Polk (No. 37 to New England Patriots)
- Adonai Mitchell (No. 52 to Indianapolis Colts)
- Malachi Corley (No. 65 to New York Jets)
- Jermaine Burton (No. 80 to Cincinnati Bengals)
- Roman Wilson (No. 84 to Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Jalen McMillan (No. 92 to Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Luke McCaffrey (No. 100 to Washington Commanders)
- Troy Franklin (No. 102 to Denver Broncos)
It's not uncommon for players who feel like they were drafted later than they should have been to memorize the names of everyone selected ahead of them.
Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons can recite the names of all 11 players taken before him in the 2021 NFL draft. Tom Brady celebrated the 20th anniversary of being drafted by the Patriots in 2000 by posting on Instagram that he hasn't forgotten the six quarterbacks who went before him.
Baker has a long way to go before he reaches the level of Parsons or Brady as an NFL player, but he certainly seems to have more than enough motivation to put himself in the best position to succeed.
In the scouting report for B/R, Derrik Klassen noted Baker is a "downfield wide receiver with the ball-tracking ability and route-running skills to blossom into an NFL starter."
Given the state of New England's receiver room right now, Baker could earn plenty of playing time when the regular season begins if he has a strong training camp and preseason.
The 22-year-old earned All-Big 12 first-team honors at UCF in 2023. He set career-highs in receiving yards (1,139) and touchdowns (seven). His 21.9 yards per reception was the best among all FBS players with at least 50 catches.
