After an early run on quarterbacks that saw six taken in the first 12 picks, no other signal-callers were taken until partway through the fifth round. In that later group of QBs, former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton finally heard his name called in the sixth round, getting drafted by the New England Patriots with the 193rd-overall pick.
Speaking Saturday after the draft ended, Milton admitted to a bit of surprise that it was New England that finally called him, though he was keeping his mind open to the chance of any team.
"It was kind of both, both of the same spectrum. But at the same time, it was kind of like, I just had all of the hats laid out. You just never know where you will end up, so I was just waiting on any phone call," Milton said, via the team's transcript. "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. But you know, I am blessed by the best. I'm happy about this moment."
Milton now enters a Patriots locker room quickly becoming crowded with quarterbacks.
By picking Milton, New England double-dipped at the QB position in this year's draft, having already taken who many consider to be the future of the franchise in North Carolina's Drake Maye. Maye and Milton will join Bailey Zappe, Nathan Rourke and Jacoby Brissett with the knowledge that there will be a battle for roster spots over the course of the offseason.
But Milton is prepared for whatever adversity comes his way and chooses to view the competition as just another chance to prove himself.
"It's just an opportunity. I feel like everywhere you go, no matter what quarterback got selected in this draft, no matter where you go, you're going to have to compete," he said. "Nothing is just given to you, no matter who you are. So, no matter where you go, you're just going to have to compete, so that is what I am looking forward to doing."
Another possible avenue onto the roster that has been brought up is for Milton to add another position to his toolkit. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Milton has the prototypical build of a tight end, and some chatter arose after his pick regarding whether moving there could be in his best interest to garner a roster spot if he doesn't make the QB depth chart.
There's precedent for players transitioning into new positions from college to the pros, with players such as Taysom Hill playing largely at tight end after starting as a QB. And just last year in New England, 2023 undrafted free agent Malik Cunningham attempted to earn playing time by moving to wide receiver.
But when asked whether the Patriots had mentioned a position change during pre-draft conversations, Milton denied it had been brought up, and went even further, saying he would not consider a move to tight end.
"You are the first person I have actually heard that from, to be real with you," Milton told the inquiring reporter. "But, that will never happen."
For what it's worth, head coach Jerod Mayo backed up that he had not looked into Milton as anything but a signal-caller, instead welcoming the competition ahead for his newest players.
"Yeah, we'll have to see how that plays out once we put the pads on, but we drafted him as a quarterback," Mayo said. "We're in the business of trying to get good football players through the door, and Milton happens to be one of them. Obviously he understands we took a quarterback at 3 in Drake (Maye).
"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."
