Getty Patriots quarterbacks Drake Maye (left) and Joe Milton
There’s no doubt that the Patriots had faith in what rookie quarterback Drake Maye can do. You don’t use the No. 3 overall pick on a player if you are not reasonably sure he will pan out, even if it is at such a high-risk position. Still, there were eyebrows raised and pearls clutched when the Pats selected yet another quarterback in this draft, using a sixth-rounder to take Tennessee’s cannon-armed Joe Milton.
If Maye was less than pleased about the addition of another youngster at his position, he did not betray those feelings. He popped Twitter/X after the announcement of the pick and offered a four-word response: “Joe cool! Congrats bro,” followed by the good old fire emoji.
The drafting of Milton should, at the very least, represent an utter exorcism of what was an unpleasant crew of quarterbacks from the past two years, when Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe were the leaders, a term used as loosely as possible.
The Patriots will go into 2024 with an anointed eventual starter, Maye, a clear veteran leader and short-term starter, Jacoby Brissett, and a talented but erratic wildcard in Milton. There’s no telling how much better that bunch will be, but the odds are strong that it will have better structure, with a clearer plan and hierarchy behind it.
Joe Milton a Tantalizing Prospect
Milton is a worthwhile gamble, considering the Patriots used the No. 193 overall pick—oddly enough, the pick they traded for Jones—to get him.
Milton is a 24-year-old six-year collegian who started his career with three years at Michigan and finished it at Tennessee. He could not win the starting job with the Wolverines, which certainly counts as a red flag, and lost the starting job to eventual Lions draftee Hendon Hooker with the Volunteers, after Milton suffered an injury.
Milton finally got his shot last season and led Tennessee to an 8-4 record, throwing for 2,769 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions.
There’s a split on whether Milton can be an NFL quarterback. His arm strength is off the charts. But he has never been able to translate his talent into consistent, in-game performance.
At The 33rd Team, analyst Greg Cosell wrote that Milton ran a version of the “Air Raid” offense that often meant that he had to make quick throws without reading progressions or identifying defensive wrinkles. He could make the throws, but he was not required to show he understood the position.
But the talent is there, and Cosell recognized that Milton divides personnel-types.
“Milton will likely be a polarizing prospect as NFL teams evaluate him and envision his transition to the next level,” Cosell wrote.
Patriots’ Jerod Mayo: ‘We Preach Competition’
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged that Milton, as a Day 3 pick, has a different set of expectations. But he did indicate that the quarterback job would be an open competition, and that the Patriots were all for Milton pushing Maye to win the job.
“Yeah, you know, we’re in the business of trying to get good football players through the door, and Milton happens to be one of them,” Mayo said. “Obviously. he understands we took a quarterback at 3 in Drake (Maye). One thing that we preach is competition. Everything is about competition, and nothing is given. All of it’s earned. That’s how we thought about the process.”
Also interesting on Milton: There’s a chance the Patriots could look to use him in other spots on the field. He is a good athlete and ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, which would make him the fastest quarterback of 2024. Mayo addressed that question, and did not dismiss the possibility.
“Yeah, we’ll have to see how that plays out once we put the pads on, but we drafted him as a quarterback,” Mayo said.