Former Tennessee football quarterback Joe Milton continues to impress at fall camp with the New England Patriots. The 2024 sixth-round draft pick is outperforming fellow 2024 draft pick Drake Maye, who was drafted in the first round with the No. 3 overall pick.
Milton's size, athleticism, and arm strength were well known throughout his time in Knoxville, and that has carried over to Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Last week, Boston Globe's Ben Volin wrote that Milton was the "wow" quarterback of camp so far. Milton outshone the first-round draft pick and forced himself into contention for QB2, although it seems unlikely he will earn that spot ahead of the 2024 season.
Volin doubled down Tuesday on Milton's performance so far in Patriots camp, saying he's outperformed Maye in the Patriots' first six practices.
"I wrote after last Thursday's practice that Milton is the 'wow' quarterback at camp — the guy with the best size, best athleticism, and biggest arm," Volin said. "Now I'll take it a step further: Milton outplayed Maye over the first six camp practices. You can't tell which player is the No. 3 overall pick (Maye) and which is the sixth-round flier (Milton)."
While Milton is criticized for his inconsistency in college, Maye seems to be the one struggling to find consistency early in camp, whether it be accuracy on a short pass or deep ball, decision-making, or when to use and not use his legs.
Milton honed some of those struggles in his final year on Rocky Top but didn't quite reach his potential. If there's any organization that can get a quarterback to maximize his potential, it will be the New England Patriots.