Patriots Put on Blast for 'Amateur' Mistake

The New England Patriots selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft last year, which was clearly the right move. Unfortunately, it was pretty much the only thing the Patriots did correctly last offseason.

Not only did New England strike out in free agency, but it did a horrendous job of cashing in on its other draft picks, which resulted in the Pats having arguably the least talented roster in the NFL in 2024.

Perhaps one of the Patriots' most puzzling decisions last April was selecting quarterback Joe Milton III in the sixth round of the draft, even though they took Maye a couple of days earlier.

Michael DeVito of Musket Fire has taken New England to task for deciding to take Milton, dubbing it an "amateur" move that was emblematic of its rough offseason in general last spring.

"Drafting Milton in 2024's sixth round was a decision made out of naivete and inexperience," DeVito wrote. "The money spent on [Jacoby] Brissett made things even worse. Instead of investing those dollars in a left tackle or a capable wide receiver, they'd been used on a backup quarterback."

That much is true. The Pats had the worst offensive line in the NFL this past season, and while they did select wide receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the draft, neither produced in Year 1.

"Expectedly, media speculation abounded about Milton," DeVito wrote. "He looked great, driving up speculation about potentially looking like a starter in the league. The bottom line is that the 2024 Patriots administration botched the entire quarterback situation absent drafting Drake Maye."

Now, to be fair, the Patriots were able to trade Milton to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round pick, but it's definitely a bit frustrating that New England neglected to fill more obvious holes last year. That has put the Pats in a tough spot heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.