Two scouting rules of thumb explain why the Patriots went with a second quarterback after choosing Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

First and foremost, NFL teams can never go wrong by taking a chance on a great quarterback. It’s the most essential position in the game, and it’s typically the most difficult to locate a suitable starter. Then there’s the classic scouting belief that, on day three, a player needs a distinctive trait to be considered a lottery ticket that late in the draft. What are the chances of his being a useful NFL player if there isn’t a distinguishing feature that sets him apart from the other picks at 193?


Eliot Wolf, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, said sixth-round draft pick Joe Milton had “too much talent in him” to pass up while he was still available at pick No. 193. Wolf discussed on The Adam Schefter Podcast why the organization double-dipped at quarterback, with New England’s senior personnel official taking a gamble on Milton in the late rounds.

“Just watching him throw the football is unbelievable,” Wolf stated. “He’s 6-5, 245 pounds, has a rocket arm, and is athletic. He played in [Josh] Heupel’s offense, which is not in the NFL. But we believe there are certain elements there that we can work on and develop.”

“It was one of those picks where there was too much talent in him to pass that up,” Wolf said.

Although Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo’s jobs are inextricably linked to Maye’s success or failure, every talent scout and coach who sees Joe Milton toss a football is fascinated. Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy expressed similar views on Milton’s talent to Wolf in an interview with Patriots.com last week.


“The identical thing that popped off the tape for everyone. “It’s ‘woah’ when you see that kid let go of a football,” Halzle added.

“He has qualities that you cannot coach. You surely cannot train Joe’s arm strength. It’s unusual. The terms uncommon and elite are used about too frequently. But he really does have an unusual arm,” Nagy explained. “I’ll tell Pats supporters that you haven’t seen an arm up there like this since possibly Rohan Davey. He will provide must-see entertainment during training camp. You’ll want to get out there and see this guy launch it. It’s a lot of fun!”

As we reflect on Milton’s lengthy football career, which covered six collegiate seasons, it is unclear where he fits in the Patriots’ future with Maye as the expected franchise quarterback. However, Milton’s arm strength is so appealing that he was a good choice for New England.

Anything is possible for Milton, who has been a four-star recruit at Michigan since 2018, when he first arrived on campus.


First stop: Michigan. “They Got This Huge Rocket Arm Guy Coming In, and They Were All Excited.”

The mythology of Milton’s rocket arm began at Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida, where he was a four-star prospect with offers from numerous top football teams.

At the time, Milton was being recruited as a football and basketball standout, with Rivals.com placing him as the 11th-best dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 recruitment class. Milton was in the same recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, who are now in their fourth NFL season, putting Milton’s arduous journey to the NFL in context.

Nonetheless, there was true enthusiasm in Ann Arbor for Milton, one of the most talented quarterbacks to emerge from the Michigan school in recent years.

“I’ve been following Joe for a long time because he began his career at Michigan, where I attended school. I recall the Michigan personnel folks calling me and telling me they had this gigantic rocket arm man coming in, and they were all delighted. “That seems like a long time ago now,” Nagy remarked.


Milton battled for the starting position at Michigan for three seasons. Milton played four games as a true freshman and shared the Scout Team Player of the Year Award on offense. However, Milton waited his time behind Shea Patterson until his junior season, when he made his first career start against Minnesota, throwing for 225 yards and rushing for 58 yards, with two total touchdowns in a 49-24 win.

Milton would start five games during Michigan’s COVID-shortened 2020 season, which saw the team finish 2-4 in six games. After uneven play, Milton went to the transfer portal in pursuit of a more secure starting position. In 2021, Cade McNamara started the bulk of Michigan’s games at quarterback. J.J. McCarthy, a first-round pick, took over in the 2022 season.