Three Things to Know About Mississippi State WR Makai Polk

Mississippi State wide receiver Makai Polk only spent one season with the Bulldogs, but he was a huge part of his team's success in the 2021 season.

Polk made game-changing plays, broke records and finished the year as one of the best receivers in the SEC. He declared for the 2022 NFL Draft just days after the Bulldogs' loss in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Although his decision to enter the Draft came as a shock to some, it was an understandable career decision by Polk.

Here are three important things to know about Polk as he begins his journey in professional football.

1. Polk was a talented defender in high school.

Although he served primarily as a wide receiver while playing at the collegiate level, Polk split time between offense and defense as a student-athlete in high school. As a junior, he totaled 52 tackles with two interceptions and led Dorsey High School to the Los Angeles City Section playoffs. Polk spent his senior season at El Cerrito High School, where he separated himself as a dual-position athlete. Offensively, he had 30 receptions for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a defender, he accounted for 42 tackles and pulled down eight interceptions.

2. Polk broke multiple school records in just one season at MSU

It didn't take long for Polk to cement his place in the record books at Mississippi State. He tied Fred Ross' single-season reception record with his 88th catch against Tennessee State in late November, then added 17 more in the final two games of the season to reach a season total of 105 receptions to give himself a sizable lead. As if that wasn't enough, Polk also set the record for most receiving yards in a single season. Mardye McDole held the record with 1,035 yards for more than four decades, but Polk's total of 1,046 yards was just enough to surpass it.

3. Polk had four 100-yard receiving games in the 2021 season.

Polk had a slow start to the 2021 season, but he quickly found his place. He had a team-high four games in which he recorded at least 100 receiving yards-- two of which occurred against formidable SEC foes. Polk recorded 136 yards against Memphis in the third game of the season and followed that performance up two weeks later with 126 yards against Texas A&M. He added 117 yards against Arkansas on Nov. 6 and 110 yards against Tennessee State on Nov. 20. During that span, Polk caught four of his nine touchdowns on the year.