Getty The Eagles could be an ideal landing spot for Tennessee Volunteers QB Joe Milton.
The Philadelphia Eagles could be an ideal landing spot for a quarterback with a “cannon.”
In a seven-round mock draft compiled by SB Nation’s David Howman, he has the Eagles projected as selecting University of Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton with the 172nd overall pick in the draft during the fifth round.
Milton isn’t one of the top quarterback prospects in the draft, but he’s certainly one of the more intriguing ones. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound quarterback only started one full season in college, but he absolutely impressed during his NFL Combine performance.
The 24-year-old dazzled with his ridiculous arm strength during the Combine, effortlessly launching deep passes while posting the hardest-thrown pass at 62 miles per hour. His huge frame combined with his physical arm talent will make him a huge upside pick in the later rounds of the draft.
During his lone season starting at Tennessee, Milton threw for 20 touchdowns and ran for six more while leading the Volunteers to an 8-4 record.
Joe Milton’s ‘Physical’ Gifts Separate Him From Other QB’s
As CBS Sports’ Brady Quinn notes, no other quarterback in the draft has the physical gifts that Milton possesses. Quinn even goes so far as to compare Milton to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, who was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Via Emilee Smarr of The Palm Beach Post:
“No one has the physical gifts that Milton possesses. He’s a rare combination of size, arm strength, and athleticism. He can throw off-platform. He’s extremely mobile. He’s strong in the pocket, and he takes care of the football. Who does he remind me of? Well, a player like Anthony Richardson who oozes with talent and ability.”
Quinn finishes off his thoughts of Milton by noting the “rewards” could be huge in the future.
“So whichever team drafts Joe Milton, they have a bit of a project, but the rewards could be huge in the future,” Quinn said.
As Pro Football Focus noted in their scouting report of Milton, he has a “cannon” for an arm and can run the RPO.
“Milton is as physically gifted as they come at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds with good mobility and a cannon of an arm. He operates almost exclusively from the shotgun in Vol’s wide formation vertical offense. His trump card is his arm talent. He is also useful in the power/RPO run game.”
Why Joe Milton is Considered a Late Round Draft Pick
While Milton’s strengths are obvious — big physical frame and huge arm strength — the reasons why he’s a projected late-round pick is a heavy emphasis on pre-determined throws based upon the scheme he played in college combined with a lack of accuracy.
Longtime NFL analyst Greg Cosell of The 33rd Team details Milton’s lack of progression reads.
“Tennessee’s passing game featured a high percentage of pre-determined throws and Milton’s 2023 tape showed numerous examples in which he threw to the wrong receiver based on the coverage,” writes Cosell. “But that was the play call, and he threw it. Milton will have to be introduced to NFL passing concepts and progressions. He will also see defensive fronts and coverage structures that will be brand new to him.”
While Milton may not be the perfect quarterback and would probably be a developmental prospect for the first couple years of his career, that’s not a problem for the Eagles. Philadelphia has Jalen Hurts entrenched as its franchise quarterback with recent trade acquisition Kenny Pickett, 2023 draft pick Tanner McKee, and Will Grier all rounding out the depth chart.
Pickett certainly has experience starting games, having started the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he was very unproductive during his time as a starter as his 1.8 percent touchdown rate during his career is among the worst in NFL history. Meanwhile, McKee is unproven and Grier is a journeyman backup quarterback.
Bringing in Milton — who could very well emerge as the primary backup to Hurts — would be a low-risk, huge-upside move.