(Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire)
The New England Patriots kicked off their preseason with a 17-3 win over the Carolina Panthers in a rainy, messy game that saw the debut of rookie No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye at quarterback.
Maye went 2-for-3 for 19 yards in his one series of action, but one analyst was particularly impressed with a different Patriots rookie QB, who he believed was “the star” of the preseason opener.
Pats beat writer Taylor Kyles said rookie QB Joe Milton III was the star of the game and praised him for his accuracy, his mobility outside of the pocket, and his overall poise and decision-making down the stretch, when he went 4-for-6 for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Joe Milton was the STAR of the #Patriots preseason opener @tkyles39 & @mikekadlick recapped the game last night and discussed Milton’s strong showing
: https://t.co/8vEog790Uu
: https://t.co/BzpVW6pnlv
by @GameTime & @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/G6ZXQigpzi
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 9, 2024
Milton also added 22 rushing yards, but his highlight play was his 38-yard touchdown deep down the left sideline to JaQuae Jackson to ice the game.
Milton was an intriguing prospect coming out of Tennessee due to his otherworldly arm talent and mobility, but his inconsistency and accuracy issues were the reason he had to wait six years to be a full-time starter in college and eventually slid to the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
He and Bailey Zappe could be in a battle for the Pats’ third quarterback job, behind Maye and Jacoby Brissett, but either way, Milton was selected as a high-upside project and won’t be expected to contribute on the field anytime soon.
That said, he is a ton of fun to watch and will surely have plenty of chances to show off his talents during the preseason.
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