Crazy Talk: Will Joe Milton Get a Shot in New England?

Even though he knows Drake Maye is the guy, Stoney can't help falling in love with Joe Milton OTA bombs.

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I have to admit that I absolutely made myself cringe typing that headline. I’m not usually one for sensationalism or clickbait, but if you guys want to accuse me of it here, I won’t put up too much of a fight. My thing here is that this is a thought that popped into my head as I was doom scrolling Twitter last week and came across several New England Patriots account sharing various clips of quarterback Joe Milton throwing bombs at OTAs. I couldn’t shake it. So, I allowed my brain to just go wild for a second…full on tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist. This is the rare occasion when I’m going to come across as one of these looney Vols Twitter members who said things like “Joe Milton is the next Anthony Richardson.” SMDH. But, part of me wonders if maybe Milton gets a real look in New England.

Now, Milton could be cut before training camp and render this entire piece moot. But, while we’re salivating pointlessly over OTA clips, I figured I’d indulge myself. I was high on Milton in the right role and the right situation. Investing a sixth round pick in the guy feels like tremendous value to me. In my opinion, he was never going to be the guy that stepped in right away and competed for a starting job. I always looked at him as a traitsy quarterback that needed a lot of work from a technique standpoint. His best shot at playing in the NFL was to land with a team that had an aging veteran that allowed him the time to develop a more well-rounded skill set and get an opportunity on down the line. The Patriots taking him in the sixth round raised my eyebrows after they selected Drake Maye in the first. Now, if you’re not already subscribed to Stacking The Inbox, first of all, you need to go smash that ‘subscribe’ button. Second of all, here’s my eval on Milton from our 2024 Draft Guide:

In a word, Iā€™d say ā€œinconsistent.ā€ I think the haters are being way too hard on the guy because of his history of losing starting jobs. But, I also think the stans are being way too idealistic about his arm and his athleticism (he ainā€™t Anthony Richardson, folks). I found him to be a little bit off on those deep bombs at times – seemed like he put a little too much air under them, and receivers had to slow down to come back to the ball. Thatā€™s fine against the Virginia Cavaliers, but those windows are going to be a lot tighter in the NFL. Even on the quick stuff to the sideline, there were inconsistencies between his touch/placement and velocity, throwing it just a bit too hard for his receivers to softly corral. On a side note, if they counted yards from the hash mark laterally to the sideline in his passing yard total, Milton wouldā€™ve had a thousand passing yards in his game vs. Virginia. He has these lapses in technique where his footwork just seems to get away from him and he makes a few too many steps, forcing him to have to reset his feet and in turn, making him a little late/behind on some throws. That happened more than once against Virginia. But, for the criticisms I have of his game, there were no real disastrous plays that I watched, and he flashes spells of really tight, sound fundamentals. If you can get that out of him consistently, there are some NFL building blocks there to work off of. I like how he holds the football, his wind up isnā€™t exaggerated, heā€™s poised in the pocket, he throws from a good arm angle, and generates a ton of torque without having to generate a lot of movement. It really is natural for him to just flick the ball 50 yards like itā€™s nothing. Thereā€™s no doubt in my mind that thatā€™s his most tantalizing trait. Heā€™s not that elusive of a runner. His trademark is his size and frame because heā€™s hard to bring down in the open field, but heā€™s just not the athlete thatā€™s going to dazzle the way some fans make him out to be. If he had more of that to his game, and didnā€™t operate what NFL scouts view as a gimmick offense, Iā€™d say he probably had a pretty good chance to go in the first round with a halfway decent season. Instead, I think Iā€™d put him in the category of ā€˜traitsy guys with upside that you draft on Day 3 and develop.ā€™ I like him a lot in that role, and while I donā€™t like making player comparisons, I couldnā€™t help but see a little bit of Brock Osweiler in Joe Milton.

So, yeah – I think the soft spot I have in my heart for Milton’s raw arm talent shines through in that eval. I don’t know what it is. It happens to the best of us…we just look at a guy and think, “man, there’s a path for him in the NFL…” That’s the case with Milton for me. The guy looks like a quarterback, and I know that isn’t necessarily the best analysis, but it’s a feeling I can’t help. This assertion that Milton might get a real shot isn’t just based on that affinity for the deep bomb, though. No, if I put two and two together here, it stands to reason that if I trust my evals, Maye might NOT be the guy. I just never got as high on the guy as others did.

The arm talent is clear. The athleticism is clear. And, to think that he was able to put together the tape he did with the offensive line he had in front of him, it feels like Maye is a miracle worker. I noticed some troubling tendencies, though. He needs to rein in his hero ball default setting. At times, he seemed to scramble to get the ball away instead of resetting his feet and taking care of the ball. But, again, let’s put on our tinfoil hats. What if I’m right about those things from the neck up and Maye fizzles out? What if I’m right about Milton having the tools to turn into an NFL quarterback under the right tutelage? If we’re following these breadcrumbs, I’m saying that based on my work, we shouldn’t be surprised if Milton eventually gets a chance.

It’s a crowded QB room with Jacoby Brissett, Maye, Milton, and Bailey Zappe. Brissett may be the guy Week 1 until Maye wins the job. It looks like we’ll have a camp battle between Milton and Zappe for that third spot, and Zappe has valuable NFL experience. That won’t be a piece of cake for Milton, but if he clears that hurdle, I’d consider it a promising start to his career. I’m feelin’ a little frisky today, so I’ll come right out and say it…I think at some point over the next three seasons, Milton is going to get a legitimate look in New England.

Subscribe to Stacking The Inbox for my full coverage of the NFL Draft and my film studies covering the Tennessee Titans. Subscribe to Football & Other F Words and The Unofficial Titans Podcast wherever you take in your podcasts!

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ā€˜Minds right, asses tight.ā€™ ā€œBig Naturalā€ covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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