Joe Milton Outshining Drake Maye at New England Patriots Training Camp

Former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton is reportedly the early leader in the quarterback room at the New England Patriots training camp.

Jul 26, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III (19) throws a pass during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton is reportedly the early leader in the quarterback room at the New England Patriots training camp.

The word "measurables" is repeated over and over during the lead up to the NFL draft. Measurables become the centerfold of NFL draft discussions and you either have them or you don't It's the things that you cannot coach into a player that appear to stand out the most, and that's exactly the kind of prospect Joe Milton was in this year's draft process and it's why the New England Patriots selected him in the sixth round.

The Patriots did not select Milton with the intentions of his emerging into the starting role this season. They drafted North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye to fill that void. However, early reports out of camp indicate that Milton is the one shining in the quarterback room and it's Maye who is now playing catch up at training camp.

"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. Now I’ll take it a step further: Milton outplayed Maye over the first six practices of camp. You can’t tell which player is the No. 3 overall pick (Maye) and which is the sixth-round flier (Milton)," Ben Volin wrote for the Boston Globe.

NFL veteran Jacoby Brissett is taking first team reps while Maye comes in at number two but is lacking the wow factor everyone is looking for, despite getting an immense amount of reps. Volin also noted that Maye was the only quarterback to not throw touchdown pass during the red zone period while Milton threw consecutive touchdowns on limited reps.

"Milton wows the crowd every day with his tantalizing arm and standing backflips. After Maye struggled in the red zone, Milton promptly came in and completed a nice pass to Kawaan Baker on the sideline," Volin added.

It is just training camp and it's not untypical for first year players to take some time to adjust to the speed of NFL football, but being outshined by a fellow rookie in your position group that was drafted five rounds after you is not ideal. However, it is great news for Milton.

During his time at Tennessee and as the starter in 2023, Milton was very inconsisent. Everyone knew he had all of the arm talent in the world to make every throw on the field, but the accuracy was touch and go throughout the year. Big arms will always draw attention at the professional level though, and if Milton can continue to impress, he very well could earn himself a shot at some point. A storyline to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the offseason.

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