Patriots draft quarterback Joe Milton in sixth round of NFL Draft
BOSTON -- The Patriots traded away Mac Jones earlier this offseason, figuring they could get a new first-round pick with the No. 3 overall pick. The team did that, selecting Drake Maye early in the first round, but the Patriots also used the pick they acquired in the Jones trade to select another quarterback in Joe Milton.
The Patriots made the pick at No. 193 overall, selecting the quarterback out of Tennessee.
Milton threw for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns (with five interceptions) last season for the Volunteers, while also rushing for 299 yards and seven touchdowns.
"It's a wonderful moment. I am pretty much speechless at this point, I'm kind of fumbling over myself, so I am kind of speechless at this point," Milton told reporters after being drafted. "But you know, I am blessed by the best. I'm happy about this moment. The only person I can thank for this moment is God, and all the hard work that I put in and the people that I have that were with me every step of the way."
Milton was the second sixth-round pick for the Patriots, after they took cornerback Marcellas Dial out of South Carolina at No. 180 overall.
The 24-year-old spent three years at Michigan before transferring to Tennessee in 2021. The 2023 season was Milton's first full collegiate season as a starting quarterback, though he started five of Michigan's six games in 2020.
Milton's arm is his standout trait, though it's unclear if he'll be able to develop into an NFL quarterback.
For now, Milton will join a now-crowded quarterback room in Foxboro, one that includes Maye, Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke.
Why draft another quarterback? Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said that Milton will just add to the competition in the QB room.
"We're in the business of trying to get good football players through the door, and Milton happens to be one of them," Mayo said Saturday. "Obviously he understands we took a quarterback at 3 in Drake. One thing that we preach is competition. Everything is about competition, and nothing is given. All of it's earned. That's how we thought about the process."