It was no secret that the New England Patriots were in the market for a new franchise quarterback this offseason, and they surprised absolutely no one when they selected Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft after trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

They did, however, make a more surprising pick when they took Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton in the sixth round, and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf has now revealed what went into that selection.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter had Wolf on his podcast recently and the two discussed the Milton pick, with Wolf saying “I had the opportunity to watch Joe play live, the last game of the year against Vanderbilt. I got there really early and watched him warm up, and just watching him throw the football is unbelievable. He’s 6’5″, 245 pounds. He’s got a rocket for an arm. He’s athletic.”

Eliot Wolf on sixth-round QB Joe Milton (Tennessee): "I had the opportunity to watch Joe play live, the last game of the year against Vanderbilt. I got there really early and watched him warm up, and just watching him throw the football is unbelievable. He's 6-5, 245 pounds. He's… https://t.co/A4ElPISnws

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 7, 2024

Wolf also added that although he didn’t play in an NFL offense at Tennessee, “we feel like there’s some things that we can work with and develop” and “there was too much talent in him to pass that up.”

Milton spent six years in college and finally got a chance to start full-time last year, but slipped in the draft due to his inconsistency and inaccuracy.

Nobody has ever questioned the raw talent as a thrower and a runner, but now he’ll have the chance to marinate on the bench and learn from an NFL coaching staff.

Milton won’t be taking Maye’s job anytime soon, but there’s plenty of value in a backup quarterback or a potential late-round home run pick.