Flipping quarterback Joe Milton III for a fifth-round pick could help the New England Patriots acquire an extra first-round selection in the 2025 NFL draft. A choice that can go toward fixing the team’s obvious problem at left tackle.
It’s an idea from Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi, who thinks Ohio State’s Josh Simmons could be among those still in play late in the opening round. Giardi has the Patriots, owners of the fourth-overall choice, combining the 171st pick they got for Milton “with the later 3rd rounder (77) with the 2nd rounder (38), and the Pats can climb to around 25th overall in round one. Conerly? Simmons? Sign me up.”
According to the Rich Hill modified trade chart, the Pats picked up an extra 9 points by acquiring pick 171. Pair that with the later 3rd rounder (77) with the 2nd rounder (38), and the Pats can climb to around 25th overall in round one. Conerly? Simmons? Sign me up.
Simmons being in reach of the Pats would surely please head coach Mike Vrabel. The former Buckeyes alum recently spent significant time with Simmons, despite concerns about the latter’s “football character.”
Maybe those concerns deter the Patriots, maybe not, but sending Milton to the Dallas Cowboys for improved draft capital has given Vrabel and general manager Eliot Wolf options. A trade back into Round 1 is among the better options.
Especially if the Patriots have already used the fourth pick to add an impact player on one side of the trenches.
Joe Milton III Pick Can Change Patriots Draft Strategy
Maybe the Patriots won’t need to trade back into the first round for Simmons or Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. Not if they’ve already taken LSU standout Will Campbell in the top five, a distinct possibility based on Vrabel’s endorsement of the player’s ability to play tackle in the pros.
That would leave the Patriots free to stick with their current draft order and use a selection at the top of Round 2 on wide receiver or pass rush help. This would be the sensible strategy, but Giardi has identified something bolder.
Bold would be taking Penn State’s Abdul Carter with the fourth pick. He’s a dynamic, roving edge-rusher with generational upside, something the Patriots need up front, even after signing a Vrabel favorite in free agency.
Carter is the pick in the latest mock from NFL.com Draft Analyst Chad Reuter, but Colorado cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter is another viable candidate. Hunter to the Patriots is an idea growing in popularity, with Bruce Feldman of The Athletic believing the player “can help second-year QB Drake Maye immediately, even if cornerback is his primary position.”
Snagging an athletic marvel like Hunter, then trading back into the first 32 picks to add a bread and butter selection to the offensive line would be a draft win-win for a new Patriots regime.
This double dip would also more than justify trading away Milton and his intriguing arm talent for late-round compensation.
Patriots Made Joe Milton III Judgement Call
Dealing Milton wasn’t without controversy. Not when last year’s sixth-round pick showcased impressive physical traits.
The problem was those traits had Milton setting his sights on a starting job sooner rather than later. As Albert Breer of The MMQB told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Hardy how the Patriots “don’t want competition in the room for Drake, right now. What we’re looking for is a resource.”
Breer also explained the Patriots “communicated” this same message to veteran Joshua Dobbs, who joined the team in free agency to be QB2. Before the Pats essentially got back the sixth-rounder they’d used to draft Milton.
This interpretation of the value of the trade might throw more shade on the deal, but not if Vrabel and Wolf use the Milton pick to engineer a memorable draft twofer.
