The New England Patriots chose Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft, but he wasn’t the rookie quarterback who caught head coach Jerod Mayo’s attention in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Joe Milton III carved up the Panthers in his debut, after being chosen out of Tennessee in the sixth round of April’s draft.
Completing 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown, Milton was one of the Patriots’ standouts and also flashed his escapability in the pocket and mobility by rushing for 22 yards.
New England Patriots’ Joe Milton Catches Jerod Mayo’s Eye
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo emerged encouraged by the rookie signal caller’s performance.
“We know he has a big arm. He has the athleticism,” Jerod Mayo told reporters of Milton. “He’s getting better with his reads every single day. He has natural leadership ability. But once again, it’s not just about one game; it’s about the full body of work. You can come out here and play well but you also have to do it on a day-to-day basis, in practice and you’ve got to gain the confidence of not only the coaches but also your teammates. And this was a step forward for him.”
“I feel like, no matter if it’s the first game or the last game of the season, I feel like the more you relax, just having a calm mind and not having a scrambled brain, just being you regardless.” Milton told reporters. “Like, I have a big personality, I’m going to show my personality every time I have the chance to. My thing is, I want to make sure everybody smiles. Every day. Day in and day out.
“Make sure everybody smiles day in and day out. Just going out there letting guys know, ‘listen man, you don’t have to be stuck up, have fun, talk, talk trash.’ It’s football. At the end of the day, it’s football, so no matter what you do, you go out there and have fun and operate and do the assignment your coach told you to do throughout the week. It’s going to allow you to have fun. Just having fun and showing my personality is all I like to do.”
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