The Patriots are full of surprises this offseason.
In 2024, we witnessed a coaching change for the first time in decades when Bill Belichick departed and Jerod Mayo entered. For the first time since 1999, there’s a new man running the front office in Eliot Wolf.
Then came the 2024 NFL Draft. On Thursday, the Patriots drafted Drake Maye, making him the highest-selected pick since Drew Bledsoe (No. 1 overall) in 1993. Over the last two days of the draft, the Patriots loaded up on offensive players, drafting two receivers and two offensive linemen in rounds 2, 3, and 4.
According to ESPN Stats Info, the Patriots 2024 NFL Draft marks the first time the Patriots have used their first five picks on offensive players since 1969.
Then came the sixth round and we got another surprise. With pick 193, the Patriots drafted quarterback Joe Milton III out of Tennessee.
This marks the first time the Patriots have drafted two quarterbacks in the same class since 1983 when the team selected Tony Eason (No. 15) and Tom Ramsey (No. 267 in Round 10).
Here are three reasons why the Patriots drafted Milton:
Joe Milton is extremely athletic
Out of every quarterback in this draft class, Milton might be the most athletic. He’s 6-foot-5 and weighs 246 pounds, but also runs a 4.62 40-yard dash with a 35-inch vertical and a 10-foot-1-inch broad jump.
For a quarterback, that’s impressive.
Milton has an absolute cannon of an arm but is considered raw. He was in college for six years. Last year, he threw for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions.
One NFL scout told Go Long’s Bob McGinn: “He might have just a ceiling as a backup quarterback, which is crazy given his talent. He has not shown me the ability to throw with consistent accuracy and make really good decisions. Everything’s been very elementary for him. That’s just the nature of the offense he plays in, not a knock on him. He’s got rare size and the best arm talent I’ve seen.”
That makes Milton a perfect prospect to take a late-round flyer on,
This is a play out of the Packers playbook
It’s smart to take dart throws in the NFL draft – especially at the quarterback position. The San Francisco 49ers are a recent example. After drafting Trey Lance at No. 3 in 2021, the 49ers drafted Brock Purdy in the seventh round the next year.
In 2012, Washington drafted Robert Griffin III at No. 2 and then Kirk Cousins in the fourth round.
This has also been seen in Green Bay, where Eliot Wolf cut his teeth.
In 2008, the Packers drafted quarterback Brian Brohm in Round 2. Then, they drafted quarterback Matt Flynn in the seventh round. In the end, Flynn had a better career, as a backup, compared to Brohm.
That offseason, Wolf was the Packers assistant director of pro personnel.
Now, the Patriots add Maye and Milton in the same draft class. The rookies will compete with Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, and Nathan Rourke at the quarterback position.
Is Milton the next Taysom Hill?
At 6-foot-5, Milton is so big and athletic, that some people around the NFL believe he could transition to the tight end position.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote, “Overall, Milton has the physical tools that scream first-round pick, but his passing instincts and ability to read the field are undeveloped. He is a project quarterback prospect, and some teams believe he will eventually transition to tight end in the NFL (similar path as Logan Thomas).”
Thomas played quarterback at Virginia Tech, was drafted in the fourth round by Arizona, and transitioned to the tight end position. He caught 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns in 2020 for Washington.
Taysom Hill is another example. He played quarterback at BYU and has played both quarterback and tight end in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.
Milton, however, doesn’t seem open to the idea.
On Saturday, when asked about potentially moving to tight end, he replied, “That’ll never happen.”