A Patriots rookie quarterback stole the show Thursday night, but it wasn't New England's first-round selection.
Joe Milton, like Drake Maye, saw limited playing time in the Patriots' preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. But unlike Maye, Milton managed to dazzle at Gillette Stadium and prompted fans to get excited about his NFL potential.
The sixth-round pick was responsible for New England's only touchdown pass -- a 38-yard dart to JaQuae Jackson -- and showed off his athleticism by evading a sack and rushing for a first down. Milton's highlights had social media buzzing, but Jerod Mayo slowed down the hype train Sunday morning.
"Yeah, you know, just watching Joe run around and that athleticism is always a welcome sight. In saying that, there are still things for him to work on," Mayo told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. "One thing would be ball security. I know it looked cool, but it's always a dangerous thing, swinging the ball around like that, but this is a guy who is working hard every single day and getting better."
It will be interesting to see how Patriots coaches divvy up snaps for quarterbacks across the final two preseason games. Mayo insisted Maye will play more Thursday night, and New England surely will want to give additional live reps to projected Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett. Bailey Zappe, who could prove to be the odd man out in the QB room, could also play the role of eating up playing time before the regular season begins.
But Mayo and company clearly see something in Milton, and if he continues to impress, the big-armed signal-caller would create a good problem for his coaches.
