2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Joe Milton

Prospect Summary:

Milton started out his college career at Michigan with hopes of him being a star for the program’s starter. After barely playing in 2018 and 2019, Milton saw some action in 2020, completing 57 percent of his passes on 141 attempts for 1,077 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. After that season, he transferred to Tennessee, where he once against spent time as a backup. With Hendon Hooker moving on to the NFL, Milton took over as the starter for the Volunteers in 2023. Milton completed 65 percent of his passes in 2023 for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions.

There is no doubt that Milton has next-level ability with an NFL skill set. He has an absolute cannon for an arm alongside some athleticism. Milton possesses almost ideal height, weight, arm talent, and enough mobility to be a starting quarterback at the next level. However, Milton is inconsistent and needs a lot of development in order to end up as a pro starter.

Milton show some serious arm talent, possessing a powerful rifle capable of making all the throws. With easy power, Milton can fire the ball deep down the field and attack defenses at all levels. Milton can drive the ball to the sideline and throw the deep out with ease. He has the ability to fire fastballs into tight windows in the short to intermediate part of the field. With Milton’s velocity, he can gun the ball past defenders to get passes into his receivers. While Milton has a strong arm, he also is capable of lofting in passes and putting air underneath his ball. Many quarterbacks with similar arm strength can have a tendency to throw flat passes, but Milton avoids that and will throw catchable passes.

Milton has some running ability that makes for an added part of his skill set that makes him dangerous. He shows some athleticism to get out of the pocket and a second gear with some straight-line speed to rip off yards while scrambling upfield. His size comes into play when he uses his strength to finish off runs, and there is no doubt that Milton is tough player. He takes hard hits and stays in the game while showing fearlessness as a runner, driving through defenders. Miton might need to slide more as a pro, but his violent attitude and physicality are impressive.

However, Milton needs a lot of development for the NFL. His accuracy can be inconsistent. Milton needs to improve throwing on the run and become a more efficient passer when he is forced to move off his landmark. A number of refinement issues are present, with Milton needing to improve his anticipation, at moving his eyes through progressions, and his ball placement. It seems as if Milton needs to see receivers break open rather than anticipating them separating from coverage or throwing them open.

Milton has the skill set of a NFL starter, but he needs to improve drastically. Milton could be a mid-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft with the plan to be a backup, but as a player who has the athletic upside to possibly develop into being a starter.