College football is back with a vengeance over Labor Day weekend. It’s scouting season for the 2024 NFL draft, too.
One of the prospects I focused on in CFB Week 1 was Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton. The man with perhaps the biggest arm in college football and some serious athletic bona fides was in action in the Volunteers’ opener against Virginia.
Milton started out as the No. 10 QB prospect in my initial rankings for the 2024 NFL draft. He’s only played reserve duty in his two years at Tennessee behind 2023 third-rounder Hendon Hooker. Prior to that, Milton spent three seasons at Michigan.
His athletic ability shone through with Milton right away. He’s got almost effortless arm strength. Milton did show good footwork mechanics and a quick enough release. Man is that arm impressive!
Milton’s best throw of the day, a first-quarter laser-guided bomb launched some 65 yards in the air, was dropped by wideout Dont’e Thornton Jr. The line between “drop” and “too hot to handle” was clearly “drop” on that rocket, but there were at least four others from Milton that straddled the line to the other side.
Touch, or lack thereof, remains an issue for Milton. He also overshot open targets twice, both of which would have been easy strikes with better anticipatory touch. Virginia’s coverage was solid in undercutting routes over the middle, but Milton had the opportunity to drop in attempts with better touch and arc. He just couldn’t do it. Staring down his primary target was also an issue.
Milton finished 21-for-30, passing for 201 yards and two TDs. The Michigan transfer did flash well on the ground, rushing for two more touchdowns and showing both strength through contact and above-average acceleration for a QB.