One quarterback wasn't enough for the Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft.
New England selected a second quarterback, spending a sixth-round pick (No. 193) on rocket-armed Tennessee signal-caller Joe Milton III on Saturday after taking UNC star Drake Maye at No. 3 overall two days earlier.
Milton's leading attribute is obviously his arm. He owns an absolute cannon, firing majestic, high-arcing passes all over collegiate fields during his time with the Volunteers, but didn't quite enjoy the return most expected from a quarterback operating in the same offense that saw Hendon Hooker throw for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2022.
Still, Milton completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2023, including a stellar first-half performance in which Milton tossed two touchdowns to help the Volunteers take a 20-7 lead over Alabama in a late-October game before eventually falling to the Crimson Tide. Ultimately, Milton and the Volunteers finished 8-4, and Tennessee sent Milton off to the NFL with the hopes a team would fall for his big arm, which Milton happily showed off on the Lucas Oil Stadium field during the NFL Scouting Combine.
That team ended up being the Patriots, whose pick instantly inspired memories of Washington's 2012 draft, in which the club selected Robert Griffin III second overall, then chose Kirk Cousins with the 102nd pick in the same draft.
Milton may not see the same opportunity Cousins enjoyed in Washington back then. He'll join New England as a backup entrenched behind Maye, whom the Patriots selected after turning down trade offers, doubling down on their conviction in the North Carolina product.
Because quarterback remains the most important position in the sport, it never hurts to add a couple of young passers to the roster, especially when considering New England's inability to find a reliable solution following the departure of Tom Brady. With their choice of Milton, the Patriots aren't shying from this reality.
