The Patriots surprised few by taking quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft. They surprised one person in particular by taking another quarterback in round six.
Joe Milton III, the player the Pats took, didn’t expect it.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com takes a closer look at why the Patriots drafted a pair of quarterbacks, with the no-brainer Maye followed later by the rocket-armed Milton at pick No. 193.
“You want to have a strong room,” coach Jerod Mayo said, via Reiss. “I would say the way it looks now, we have a very strong room.”
They also have veteran Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe. It’s hard to imagine all four being on the Week 1 active roster.
The bigger question is who will start? Although most of the first-round rookies are likely to be playing right away, Maye could take a back seat to Brissett — especially since there’s a belief that Maye is raw.
The reality is that, once the rookie starts playing, it’s very hard to go back. That said, there’s value in giving a young quarterback reps, even if it’s a baptism by fire. The sooner he plays, the sooner the game slows down, the sooner he reaches his ceiling.