2024 NFL Draft Profile: Joe Milton III
College Career
Joe Milton was a four-star recruit from Olympia High School in Orlando Florida. His high school stats weren’t eye-popping but that wasn’t the reason he was highly sought after. Milton was 6’5″ and had some of the best arm talent in the country. He was a hard-nosed quarterback with the heart of a lion. He could make plays at any level of the field and showed incredible athleticism. This was the reason Jim Harbaugh called and gave him the chance to come to be the starter of the Michigan Wolverines.
Going into his freshman and sophomore seasons in Ann Arbor, Milton was ready to impress but was put on hold. Harbaugh liked what he had in starting quarterback Shea Patterson. This was going to allow Milton to learn and gain experience over his first two years at Michigan. In his third year at Michigan, he finally got his chance to start and his opening game came against a ranked Minnesota team. He flashed greatness and led Michigan to a decisive win against their Big Ten rivals. The next three games wouldn’t go so well and the decline in Milton’s play was noticeable. He got the start against Rutgers but struggled early on and was benched for freshman Cade McNamara. That would lead to Milton taking his talents to Knoxville, Tennessee.
Joe Milton was announced the starter in his first year at Tennessee but got injured in Week 2. Hooker didn’t relinquish the job the rest of the season. Going into 2022, Hooker would remain the starter. Milton did get some chances to play and when he did, he balled out. He went on to throw for 970 yards, 10 touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Milton would have a chance to start again. 2023 was a step back for the Tennessee Volunteers as they lost an abundance of players to the NFL draft. In 2023, Milton would play well but not great. In 12 games played, he had a completion percentage of 64.7%, 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions. College went just like his high school career: he was all potential but had yet to play at a consistent enough level to garner any significant attention.
Strengths
- The biggest strength is his arm talent, he can throw it with the best of the best.
- Puts incredible zip on his passes over the years his throwing motion has become faster leading to him being able to make tight window throws.
- Is a physical specimen being 6’5″ and weighing 235 pounds.
- Is a fast and strong runner being able to break tackles and hit elite levels of acceleration.
- Has flashes of great ability at throwing on the run when leaving the pocket.
- Good awareness and can feel pressure and get the ball out on time.
- Great leadership qualities and a boatload of experience.
Weaknesses
- Has very spotty accuracy, way too many times missing wide-open targets downfield by overthrows
- Can’t process the field quickly and struggles to read complex defenses at a high level
- Had a very spotty college career never playing an elite season, only playing elite games every once in a while
- Is a very predictable player when trying to escape the pocket often using spin moves and backside maneuvers
- Will be 24 by the time he is a rookie
In Summary
When watching the tape it’s impossible not to acknowledge the potential and the physical traits Joe Milton possesses. Watching him sling the ball downfield is a treat as not many players can do that in the world, but he can do it with just the flick of a wrist. Milton also tweaked his throwing motion during his lengthy college career. He now throws with much more velocity being able to put the ball in tight windows.
When he finds a clean way out of the pocket he can make great throws on the run. He is still working on using his entire body to throw the ball so it’s only a matter of time before he can get the ball even further downfield. He is pretty much just a create-a-player with empty stats in the processing area. This game takes more than just raw talent and athleticism.
He has a lot of work to do when it comes to the mental part of the game and some of his mechanics need serious tweaking. Milton has very spotty accuracy when throwing the ball downfield, often overthrowing his guys when streaking down the field. He often struggles to read the field and needs to be better when processing complex defenses that the NFL might play against him. Tennesee is not an offense that translates well to the NFL. He will need to be more elusive when it comes to escaping the pocket, often relying on the same maneuvers when getting out of the pocket.
Being a 24-year-old quarterback is also going to affect his chances of being taken anything other than late in the draft. Milton is a project who will inevitably win over teams with his pure raw athleticism but to play at a high level in the NFL he will need to completely relearn the position. His football IQ is what will end up pushing the scouts away as he will need to sit behind a starter for years before being able to process the field at a high level. He will need to work on his pre and post-snap reads so he can continue to keep the ball out of harm’s way.
Joe Milton will have the senior bowl and NFL combine to continue to improve his draft stock. Milton has the raw potential to be what every NFL team wants a quarterback. Teams will be hesitant because he has been in and out as the starting quarterback multiple times during his college career. The question now is can he finally become a starter and keep the job by playing consistently throughout the length of an entire season? How patient are teams willing to be with Milton?
Draft Projection: Early day 3
Player Comp: Less Polished Daunte Culpepper
Possible Landing Spots: Seahawks, Jets, Vikings
Main Image: Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
