For a second year in a row, the New England Patriots found an athletic quarterback fit to switch positions.
Last year, the Patriots signed undrafted free agent Malik Cunningham and tried him out at wide receiver. On Saturday, the Patriots took Tennessee’s Joe Milton with a sixth-round pick at No. 193, and Milton faced a question on if he would switch positions to tight end.
Milton said “that’ll never happen” when he met with reporters on Saturday via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
Milton emphasized that he’s ready to compete with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, whom the team selected at No. 3 overall on Thursday. The two rookies knew each other from before, and Milton said they’re close.
“No matter who you are, no matter where you go, you have to compete. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to,” Milton said via Kyed.
In six college seasons, Milton completed 61.5% of his passes for 5,353 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also rushed for 661 yards and 12 touchdowns on 174 carries in that span.
Joe Milton Tabbed as a Potential Tight End by Insider
Known for his athleticism and rocket arm, Milton got tabbed as a potential tight end by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler before the draft. Milton has great size at 6-foot-5, 236 pounds.
“Overall, Milton has the physical tools that scream first-round pick, but his passing instincts and ability to read the field are undeveloped,” Brugler wrote in The Beast NFL draft guide. “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].”
That doesn’t mean the Patriots are set on making Milton a tight end. New England could trade backup quarterback Bailey Zappe, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, which would make room for Milton for the year.
Joe Milton Draws Anthony Richardson Comparison
Known as “Bazooka”, Milton impressed at the Senior Bowl as a quarterback, Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar noted. The Patriots currently have Maye, Zappe, Nathan Rourke, and Jacoby Brissett on the roster at quarterback.
“Milton’s arm strength to drive the ball through the middle of the field and throw on the move stood out above the rest of his American squad teammates,” Lazar wrote. “Milton has a live arm with good arm elasticity to generate velocity from different angles and platforms.”
“He made the best throw during a 7-on-7 session where he worked a seam route to K-State tight end Ben Sinnot and looked natural, throwing to different levels off bootleg actions,” Lazar added. “My comparison for Milton is day three Anthony Richardson.
The Colts drafted Richardson with the No. 4 pick out of Florida in 2023. Richardson had a solid but brief rookie season of 557 yards passing for three touchdowns before a season-ending shoulder injury.
“He’s not as freakish with his mobility and arm talent, but it’s a similar skill set as the Colts QB,” Lazar wrote about Milton.
Whether or not the Patriots will keep Milton at quarterback or move him to tight end remains to be seen. If he does get moved, it would be a continuation of a surprising start to his Patriots career.
“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this call,” Milton told reporters via NESN.
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