New England Patriots - NESN.com
A weak quarterback draft class this year might force teams to get creative when trying to find their next franchise signal-caller.
And that search might just lead them to giving the New England Patriots a call about one of their quarterbacks.
No, we’re not talking about Drake Maye. But NFL analyst Brian Baldinger believes the stock of Joe Milton III rose significantly after he performed well in New England’s regular-season finale win over the Buffalo Bills, which cost the Patriots the No. 1 overall pick.
“After watching some of these guys at the Senior Bowl, I might think Joe Milton is my very best option if I’m looking for a quarterback right now,” Baldinger said in a video scouting Milton’s performance. “You might just be doing some backflips if you pull the string and you negotiate with the Patriots for his services.”
Milton, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, displayed his cannon of an arm and terrific athleticism in that game against the Bills. He completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards with one touchdown while also running for a score.
The showing opened eyes since it was the sixth-round pick’s first time in an NFL game. The caveat about the performance is that Milton went up against Buffalo’s backups as the Bills clearly had no intention of trying to beat the Patriots.
But what Milton showed on tape in that contest could entice a quarterback-needy team to try to pry him away from the Patriots with Maye set to start for years to come.
But having Milton as a backup option to Maye is valuable, especially since Maye got dinged up on a couple of occasions during his rookie season.
This could also be the chance for the Patriots to cash in on Milton since his value might not ever be higher with teams uninterested in the quarterbacks available on their draft boards.
