Joe Milton III responds to fans mad about Patriots losing No. 1 draft pick

The New England Patriots would've "earned" the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft last Sunday had they lost to a Buffalo Bills side already locked in as the No. 2 seed for the AFC playoffs. Instead, rookie quarterback and sixth-round pick Joe Milton III helped New England notch a 23-16 win that didn't prevent team owner Robert Kraft from firing first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.

During a live Instagram session shared on Thursday night, Milton addressed fans who were angry that New England ended last weekend holding the fourth choice for the upcoming draft. 

"Y’all keep asking about this first-round pick thing," Milton said, per Nick O'Malley of MassLive. "I need y’all to understand it from my point of view. I ain’t playing football since the preseason. If y’all were in my shoes and y’all were given an opportunity to go play, why would you go out there and not show up and show out? Why would I go out there — so y’all can talk about me if I lose?" 

Milton made his first in-game appearance of the season and performed well versus a Bills opponent that rested many starters. He completed 22-of-29 passes for 241 yards, with a touchdown along with 16 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries. While one can't blame him for wanting to close his debut campaign out with an impressive performance, fans understandably were left wondering what New England could've received for the draft's first pick from a quarterback-needy team between now and April. 

In a mock draft shared earlier this week, ESPN's Jordan Reid predicted that quarterbacks Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado would go off the board with selections 1-2. Reid had New England taking Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 4.

"Y’all want me to go out there and lose and then y’all be like, 'Oh I’m glad you lost so he can get traded.' And then what? Make that make sense. That’s what I’m saying," Milton continued. "They want me to tank for the first pick. ...Come on bro, I’m gonna go out there and show up and show out." 

Fellow rookie quarterback and presumed 2025 Week 1 starter Drake Maye insisted last week he wanted the Patriots to "end off on a good note" with a win. Fans may not like it, but players, more often than not, will always be against "tanking" with a draft pick in mind.