Patriots' rookie quarterback has Bailey Zappe reflecting on his youth football days during OTAs
For Bailey Zappe, the quarterback room quickly changed in New England. And along with the Patriots bringing in veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, the team also drafted two rookies. One of those rookies has already stood out in an impressive way to Zappe, and it's probably not the one that many people would expect. With the […]
For Bailey Zappe, the quarterback room quickly changed in New England.
And along with the Patriots bringing in veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, the team also drafted two rookies. One of those rookies has already stood out in an impressive way to Zappe, and it's probably not the one that many people would expect.
With the third overall pick, the Patriot took former University of North Carolina star quarterback Drake Maye. And then in the sixth round, they decided to take another quarterback, selecting Tennessee's Joe Milton III.
Both of the rookies are known for their impressive arm, but Joe Milton has a slight edge. And even Zappe couldn't help but praise him based on what he's seen in such a short time.
"I mean it's impressive. That guy can really throw the rocket," Zappe said about Milton at Wednesday's practice. "Makes me wonder what I didn't do when I was growing up as far as workouts. But we'll do a quarterback competition I'm sure."
Why the Patriots drafted Joe Milton III
While the Patriots drafted Drake Maye in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, it seemed that the team had remedied their quarterback situation. However, in the sixth round, they had a decision to make.
When they were on the clock with the 193rd overall pick, there was still one quarterback on the board. So, Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo had to decide if they wanted to use one of their eight picks on another quarterback.
Ultimately they did, and earlier this month, Wolf revealed what went into that decision on the Adam Schefter podcast.
“It was just one of those picks where there was too much talent in him to pass that up,” Wolf said on the Adam Schefter podcast. “I had the opportunity to watch Joe play live, the last game of the year against Vanderbilt. I got there really early and watched him warm up. Just watching him throw the football is unbelievable,” Wolf said.
“He’s 6-5, 245 pounds. He’s got a rocket for an arm. He’s athletic. He played in (Tennessee head coach Josh) Heupel’s offense there. It’s not an NFL offense, but we feel like there’s some things that we can work with and develop,” Wolf added.
Tennessee posted a video in December, 2022 that went viral, showing Milton throwing an orange for over 100 yards.
So hopefully there will be more videos that displays Milton's arm strength as the offseason continues.
