New England Patriots’ Rocket-Armed Rookie Quarterback Is Dominating Fake Reps Against Computer

Joe Milton is the ultimate project quarterback for the New England Patriots. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound rookie has a cannon for an arm, freakish athleticism and all of the intangibles.

His problem is accuracy, which often stems directly from poor decisions as a passer.

Milton was drafted with a sixth-round pick that was acquired by the Patriots in their trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars after he walked off an 80-yard bomb with so much swagger at the scouting combine. They essentially traded Mac Jones’ noodle arm for a rocket launcher.

Drake Maye is the franchise quarterback of the future in New England and Jacoby Brissett is a veteran backup so Milton does not need to see the field in any capacity this season unless disaster strikes. The goal is to mold him into a valuable backup for next year and beyond, or potentially trade him to a team in need of a starter down the road. The former scenario is far more likely than the latter.

Joe Milton is a VR superstar!

Milton is working hard to get better with his limited opportunities at practice. Head coach Jerod Mayo also likes what he has seen from the 24-year-old rookie during his fake reps against the computer.

Jerod Mayo has seen “huge development” from Joe Milton III. He noted the rookie takes advantage of the Patriots virtual reality setup.

— Mark Daniels of MassLive

The Patriots have made virtual reality a large focus of its quarterback development over the last six+ months, for both Maye and Milton. Both guys can often be found at One Patriot Place throwing a microchipped football while wearing VR goggles— or something like that. It’s a rather silly mental image if you really think about it but New England believes in the technology.

I think the virtual stuff is great and that’s another way that you can steal some of those reps without being on the football field. We’re absolutely interested in that type of technology, we have rooms in the building that have some of that technology, but obviously, technology changes every single day. We’re looking for the best thing.

— Jerod Mayo

Perhaps these virtual reality reps really will take Joe Milton to the next level as a decision-maker. LSU director of athletic training Jack Marrucci believes it made a big difference for Jayden Daniels prior to his Heisman Trophy season.