It’s a far cry from Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins, or even Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte.
Regardless, the Patriots drafted two quarterbacks this year. Drake Maye, third overall. Joe Milton III, 193rd.
Last night at Gillette Stadium, the sixth-round pick taken six places before the Brady spot created more buzz than Maye.
In two drives last night, Milton completed four of six passes for 54 yards and a 38-yard touchdown, and he added 22 rushing yards — including a scramble that showed off his running skills.
After the game, coach Jerod Mayo was asked whether he’s ready for the talk-radio fever Milton’s debut will spark.
“I don’t even listen to that stuff,” Mayo told reporters. “But honestly, Joe went out there. We know he has a big arm. He has the athleticism. He’s getting better with his reads every single day. He has natural leadership ability. But once again, it’s not just about one game; it’s about the full body of work. You can come out here and play well but you also have to do it on a day-to-day basis, in practice and you’ve got to gain the confidence of not only the coaches but also your teammates. And this was a step forward for him.”
Milton was pleased with his performance.
“I had a lot of fun man,” Milton told reporters. “It’s a blessing. You know, a lot of people where I’m from, they dream of being in this situation, so just go out there and cherish it all. It means a lot to me. Me, my family and obviously my teammates. My night was — my day itself was pretty calm. Just the calm before the storm, that’s how I look at it. I went home, walked my dog like I always do regularly. Just sit down on my bed and look over the call sheet. I try not to scramble my brain too much and study it too much. Once I got it, I got it. Before the game, I might look at it a couple more times, but other than that, just trusting the guys are going to do their job and trusting that I’m going to do my job and that the coach is going to make the right call at all times.”
There’s a looseness to Milton’s style that makes him even more intriguing as an option to play at some point, for the Patriots or another team.
“I feel like, no matter if it’s the first game or the last game of the season, I feel like the more you relax, just having a calm mind and not having a scrambled brain, just being you regardless,” Milton said. “Like, I have a big personality, I’m going to show my personality every time I have the chance to. My thing is, I want to make sure everybody smiles. Every day. Day in and day out. Make sure everybody smiles day in and day out. Just going out there letting guys know, ‘Listen man, you don’t have to be stuck up, have fun, talk, talk trash.’ It’s football. At the end of the day, it’s football, so no matter what you do, you go out there and have fun and operate and do the assignment your coach told you to do throughout the week. It’s going to allow you to have fun. Just having fun and showing my personality is all I like to do.”
Milton also expressed appreciation for the praise he’s getting from coach Jerod Mayo.
“Man, hearing that from the head coach, thanks to him, but I feel like I’ve got a lot more work to do,” Milton said. “There’s a lot of things in the offense that I need to learn, and I need to learn fast. Just being hard on myself, that’s the only way I got this far, is being myself. Thanks to Coach Mayo for saying that, but I feel like I’ve got a lot of work to do, got to keep studying. Can’t get complacent no matter how good the game went tonight. Just being able to wipe it off and put it in the books and get ready for the next one.”
Look, it’s clear that the Patriots believe Drake Maye is the future. Otherwise, they would have accepted a trade offer from the Giants or the Vikings for the ability to draft him. But they might have something in Milton, and they might be wise to find a way to get him on the field in speciality packages, or even a Taysom Hill-type role.
While Milton has ruled out playing a different position, he’d surely welcome the ability to play. And who knows? Maybe if the top-three pick ever gets banged up, the sixth-rounder will be ready to take charge.
No one in New England could ever dismiss that as an implausible outcome.
