After taking North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the New England Patriots added a second player att the position in the sixth round - Tennessee's Joe Milton.
Milton, despite being in college football for six years, only started one full year (2023) for the Volunteers after Hendon Hooker left for the NFL. He has a huge arm, but accuracy issues, his age and lack of starting experience dropped him down draft boards.
This pick signals that the Patriots don't love their backup options beyond Jacoby Brissett, who still has a chance to be the team's starter when the season starts. However, Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke appear to be expendable.
New England may have a new head coach, de facto general manager and offensive coordinator, but Zappe was cut last year, so it's clear the team had no problem moving on from him.
Milton is a project, and there's a chance that he doesn't ever become anything, but it's always worth taking a flier on a quarterback, especially if there's not a lot of talent.
