NFL Draft: UCF wide receiver Javon Baker selected in 4th round by New England Patriots

Stocking up on weapons to support No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye, the New England Patriots grabbed UCF wide receiver Javon Baker with the 110th selection of the 2024 NFL draft Saturday afternoon.

All five of New England's picks through the opening four rounds have addressed needs for their 31st-ranked offense. In addition to Maye and Baker, the Patriots chose Washington wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk, Penn State offensive tackle Caedan Wallace and Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson.

Baker, a 6-foot-1, 202-pound senior who began his college career at Alabama, earned All-Big 12 first team honors in 2023 after leading the conference with 1,139 receiving yards. He had a team-high 52 catches, including seven touchdowns, and averaged 21.9 yards per reception.

Draft Knights: The 48 UCF players selected in the NFL draft in program history

Before the Knights took the field against Georgia Tech in December's Gasparilla Bowl, Baker announced intentions to return for the 2024 season. However, he opted to forego his final year of eligibility and declared for the NFL draft on Jan. 8.

Baker shined during practices at the Reese's Senior Bowl and ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in February. He added a 37-inch vertical leap, and a broad jump of 10 feet, 1 inch.

Pro Football Focus ranked Baker as the No. 78 overall player on its big board. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper had him 83rd, and NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah put him 128th on his top-200 list.

Two rounds later, UCF left tackle Tylan Grable landed with another AFC East squad.

A high school quarterback and walk-on tight end at Jacksonville State, Grable (6-5, 306) made 27 starts for the Knights after joining via the transfer portal. He earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention from the league's coaches this past season, and was named to Pro Football Focus' All-AAC third team in 2022.

Prior to this weekend, 48 UCF players had been drafted in program history. Defensive lineman Kalia Davis was the most recent choice, taken in the sixth round by the San Francisco 49ers two years ago.

Baker became the 13th wide receiver produced by UCF to hear his name called in the draft. Notable predecessors include Brandon Marshall, Gabe Davis, Shawn Jefferson and Mike Sims-Walker. Grable is the first Knights' offensive lineman selected since Jah Red in 2011.

Following the draft, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee announced via social media that he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. UCF previously confirmed the signings of linebacker Jason Johnson with the Dallas Cowboys, and defensive end Tre'Mon Morris-Brash with the Los Angeles Chargers.

A two-year starter following his transfer from Ole Miss, Plumlee completed 62.9% of his passes for 2,271 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 505 yards with five scores. He missed three games due to a knee injury suffered in a road win over Boise State.

Plumlee played one season with UCF's baseball program as well, starting 58 games and posting a .286/.384/.505 slash line with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He famously completed a dual-sport doubleheader on April 15, 2023, cracking two hits against Memphis in seven innings, hopping on a golf cart, changing uniforms and tossing two touchdowns in UCF's spring football game

Johnson (6-0, 222) led the Knights in tackles in each of the last two campaigns, making 240 in total including 132 solo stops, 10½ tackles for loss and four sacks. Morris-Brash (6-2, 245) paced the Big 12 with 20½ TFLs, registering 8½ sacks and registering a 71.0 PFF grade in 690 defensive snaps.

According to NFL.com's Chad Reuter, Plumlee was the No. 12 UDFA quarterback, Johnson was ranked the No. 11 linebacker and Morris-Brash checked in No. 16 among available edge rushers.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NFL draft: New England Patriots select Javon Baker in fourth round