Patriots taking gamble on strong-armed QB, possible TE in Joe Milton

The Patriots continue to put together an exhilarating offense with their latest selection of Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton in Round 6. It was a bit of a shocking choice, given they had already taken Drake Maye with their first round pick.

But Milton could signal two things going on in the minds of Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf; they're not confident the backup quarterbacks they currently have on the roster, or they envision Milton being used in a different way than just quarterback.

Because the Tennessee alum was expected to be a polarizing prospect given his consistency issues, there was some whisperings about Milton moving to tight end upon heading to the NFL.

He has the size to thrive at the position and the instincts from experience as a quarterback, and he could easily transition to having a more prominent role on the Patriots offense by switching positions.

It has been a common theme in New England to do this with players the coaches view as a quality prospect, much like former quarterback Julian Edelman. And there are current examples in today's NFL with Saints quarterback/tight end duo Taysom Hill.

Patriots taking gamble on strong-armed QB, possible TE in Joe Milton

It might be a move worth considering for Milton, especially since he was unlikely to earn a starting role for any team. It could also ultimately benefit the Patriots to take advantage of his physical strengths, one of which is having a powerful arm to throw way downfield.

It's been a while since we've seen that in New England.

It will be interesting to see how Mayo and Wolf address the very question of how they intend to use Milton within their offense.

It's never a bad idea to have a multifaceted player who can serve multiple roles, so in the worst-case scenario, he's used in more than one position, and that's potentially "worst-case" in Milton's eyes, who might want to remain under center as opposed to moving to tight end.

Update:

While speaking to reporters after being drafted, Milton was asked specifically if the Patriots had spoken to him about transitioning from quarterback to tight end.

He shared it was never a conversation, and when asked about it potentially happening, he swiftly responded with it will "never happen." So that seems to settle that debate.

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