Joe Milton has the strongest arm in this draft and is the ultimate developmental project in this class. Milton started his career at Michigan before transferring prior to the 2020 season. Milton has technically only started one full season and that was last season where he threw 20 touchdown passes and for 2,813 yards. In this era of the spread offense, those are not eye popping numbers. Especially in Josh Heupel’s offense.
Despite those numbers, Milton will appeal to teams because of his tantalizing combination of size and athleticism. Here is my scouting report on Joe Milton.
Joe Milton, QB, 6-5 246, Tennessee
Arm Strength: Milton has the best arm in this class. He can touch 80 yards on his deep ball. Shows good zip on timing routes and he can put the ball in a spot where only his receiver can make a play on it. Can stick the post and skinny post on his receiver no problem. His receivers do not have to break stride.
Pocket: Tends to hang in the pocket too long. He locks on reads and has a tendency to take sacks. Needs to do a better job of keeping his eyes down field while feeling pocket pressure. Processing could improve. He will need to process quicker in the NFL to match up with the speed of the game.
Accuracy: Accurate from the pocket but you notice his accuracy will wane when he is forced to vacate the pocket and throw on the run. His accuracy vertically is an issue. He can be very inconsistent and needs to learn to do a better job of adding and subtracting on his ball.
Field Vision: Again, processing can be an issue for Milton at times. Tends to either lock in on his first read or go to his second read and if it is not there, he takes off. Milton struggles to see the whole field as a passer and he will need to improve in this area.
Running Ability: Milton is a strong runner who takes long strides when scrambling. He picks up chiunk yards and can get to the sticks. Milton is tough. He is not afraid to put his head down and run over a defender.
Delivery: Milton’s delivery is clean and efficient. He has a quick release and can get the ball out quick. The issue for Milton is accuracy. He can be so inconsistent.
Ball Handling: Milton did not do enough in terms of play-action. He does need to do a better job of his ball handling and play fakes. He tends to be a little high on fakes so he is not actually selling the play.
Leadership: Milton is well liked by his peers. He is seen as a leader within the Tennessee program. people around the league have been praising Milton for his willing to keep going the past six despite not getting his opportunity right away.
Final Report: The Patriots drafting Milton is a long shot. They have met with them but I highly doubt they would invest a pick in him. If they were to draft on day three, they would need to give Milton time to develop. He has a lot of physical tools but he is a work in progress.
Draft Range: 5th-6th Round