Although many expected this, the New England Patriots have moved on from first-year head coach Jerod Mayo in order to take the franchise in a different direction.
What they may not have expected, however, is for rookie QB Joe Milton III to have a massive performance in his NFL debut against the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots drafted Milton, who is known for his rocket-like arm strength, in the sixth round with the No. 193 overall pick. After his terrific debut, Milton is drawing interest from various teams around the NFL.
During Sunday’s win over the Bills, Milton not only showcased his huge arm, but also his dual-threat ability, completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a bullet touchdown to Kayshon Boutte while adding a rushing score.
“It looks like we lucked out — we maybe have two quarterbacks,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on Monday following Milton’s performance.
Is Kraft right? Could the Patriots have gotten a massive steal at the back end of last year’s NFL Draft?
The Patriots drafted their current starter, fellow rookie Drake Maye, with the No. 3 overall pick. Maye has outperformed expectations in his first year and has the starting job locked up, but the Patriots may have landed an extremely valuable trade asset in Milton.
Given Milton’s upside and how well he played in his first NFL action, he’s looking like a solid backup to push Maye’s development or a very valuable piece to trade in a QB-starved league.
Milton’s performance on Sunday raised eyebrows across the NFL. According to NFL personality Steve Palazzolo, the Patriots have already received calls from multiple QB-needy teams about their late-round steal. With the Patriots having holes to fill all over their lineup, perhaps they would be open to flipping Milton for the right return.
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