2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile: Joe Milton III, QB

Alright, I’ll admit it, the athletic quarterback out of Tennessee, Joe Milton was incredibly entertaining at the 2024 NFL Combine. When you see a quarterback toss the ball a casual 70 yards down the field, it’s hard not to take notice. I know he didn’t run any of the agility drills or show anything else at the Combine, but the throwing portion convinced me to take a deeper dive into his tape to see what he could do with pads on. Needless to say, Milton was a very fun and interesting prospect to dive into. Let’s do that now.

Joe Milton III (QB)  Tennesee – Dynasty Rookie Profile

Height: 6’5

Weight: 235 lbs

Strengths

Unbelievable Arm Strength

I cannot stress enough how fascinating it was to watch Joe Milton sit back a few moments before unleashing an absolute bomb down the sideline at the Combine. It was comedic in that he needed to allow some of the best runners in college to get a head start on his deep pass just to have a chance to catch up to it. It was evident in his tape that Milton had no issue chucking it farther than anyone really could imagine.

The raw strength of Milton allows him to throw the ball with ease regardless of his location. In or out of the pocket, Milton can sling the rock. He also posted the fastest throw at the combine (62 MPH). Again, you can see in his tape that Milton knows how to put a ball in a tight window with some extra zip to give his receiver the best shot at it.

Elite Frame and Athleticism 

At 6’5 and 235 pounds Milton possesses elite NFL size for a quarterback. He’s tricky to bring down, not only due to his strength but because of his quick feet in the pocket. Additionally, he can typically evade tacklers and continue plays outside the pocket. Though he’s not an elite runner like Jayden Daniels, did run plenty in his time at Tennessee. He had 78 rushes for 299 yards in his final year for the Vols. No, this certainly isn’t the most eye-popping stat line. However, it highlights his ability to be a threat on the ground if the game plan asks for it.

Furthermore, Milton also added seven rushing touchdowns to his 20 passing scores this past season. His main selling point in the NFL as a runner will be his effectiveness as a runner in the red zone and short-yardage situations. Milton simply exudes athleticism and has an elite frame to go with it. 

Weaknesses

Arm Strength Leads to Miscues

Having a rocket strapped to your arm comes with a lot of pros, but it brings along an equal amount of cons. At Tennesee, Milton was routinely overthrowing his receivers on wide-open routes. You can also see Milton throwing fastballs at targets that led to plenty of drops. Now it’s tough to put all of the blame on the QB, but in your sixth year of college, it is worrying to see a player not adjust to his team around him. You can also see several cases of Milton underthrowing receivers on screens and short passes, almost to signal that he is trying to find the right touch for a shorter ball.

Accuracy Concerns

Accuracy is a big problem with Milton’s games, not too shocking considering I just mentioned it in the paragraph above. But I want to differentiate the issues with his arm strength and his issues with finesse. There a plenty of throws that should be routine for a 6th year QB playing at two major schools. His timing just isn’t there in some games, and he has a major bad habit of trying to do too much by forcing throws into bad coverage. I will note that some throws are very pretty. However, for a QB to be worthwhile in the NFL they have to do it every down, not every few games.

Lack of Success in College Football

The main knock on Milton, and something that most casual CFB fans will agree on, is that he just wasn’t great. Milton didn’t get the starting job in Michigan until his Junior year, where he was eventually benched by Cade McNamara. Then Milton transferred to Tennesee only to sit behind Hendon Hooker for two years. However, it is not entirely his fault, an early injury in 2021 opened the door for Hooker to take over.  

Moreover, both times where Milton was given the keys to the offense he floundered. He competed, won games, and showed some glimpses of talent, but ultimately couldn’t come through when the team needed him the most. Between his starting gigs at Michigan and Tennesee, he was 1-5 against ranked opponents.

NFL Fit and Draft Capital

It would be a surprise to see Milton’s name called before the third day of the draft. PFF’s 21st-ranked QB did not do enough in his extended time at college to warrant a higher draft value. Milton will be a late-round dart throw for those teams that are happy with their current quarterback and are comfortable taking the extra time to mold Milton into a more NFL-ready player. Not that they would pick him, but the Dolphins scooping up Milton would be a fun time. Can’t overthrow your wideouts if they are faster than lightning. 

Otherwise, teams aren’t necessarily looking for a quarterback that only has a big arm. We’ve seen it before and it doesn’t have a great track record of bringing success. Milton will end up in the 5th or 6th round of the draft and serve as a fun backup who could come in and chuck a few deep balls in a pinch.

Dynasty Outlook

All of that said above, Joe Milton III is why we play dynasty football. More likely than not he won’t even be drafted by dynasty managers this offseason, but there will be some bold folks out there looking to call their shot. Milton at this point will be merely a deep Superflex stash that will need a few years to see if he’s worth anything for fantasy.

Best case scenario? Milton finds a team that is willing to put in the work and solve those accuracy and power issues. There is, albeit small, a chance that Milton can be a house for fantasy football thanks to his deep passing game. Those who took that chance could be rewarded with a special quarterback in dynasty football leagues. Realistically that probably won’t happen. Unless something changes between now and September, we will just be re-watching those NFL Combine clips and naming Milton in one of those “name a random football player” threads because he won’t be helpful for fantasy football purposes.

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