NFL Scouting Combine: Orlando’s Joe Milton wows Indy crowd with arm strength
Everyone knew Joe Milton had a big arm, and over the weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, he got the chance to show it off.
Of the record six players from Central Florida invited to the combine, Milton was the most impressive as the former Olympia High and Tennessee quarterback unleashed his arm, which proved, not surprisingly, to be by far the strongest of any quarterback in the event.
Milton joined defensive tackle Tyler Davis (Wekiva/Clemson), cornerback Renardo Green (Wekiva/FSU) and safety Jaylon Carlies (West Orange/Missouri) in workouts during the four-day combine. Two others invited — offensive lineman Matt Lee (Hagerty/UCF/Miami) and wide receiver Xavier Weaver (OCP/USF/Colorado) — did not work out at the event.
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Milton, who has huge hands and long arms, threw numerous deep passes of more than 70 yards, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium. He was also impressive with his throwing velocity, clocking a ball-speed of 62 mph. Milton, however, wanted to show consistency in his ability to hit targets and show his awareness of when to take some velocity off the ball with touch passes when needed.
Most analysts said Milton provided a bit of that to NFL scouts and he will continue to work on impressing more NFL people as the April draft approaches, especially March 27, at the Tennessee pro day in Knoxville.
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said during Saturday’s telecast about Milton’s deep-ball exhibition: “When he was out there throwing, all of the guys had their jaws on the floor. I think they knew that when it came to that drill, Milton was going to blow them all away.”
Davis added: “I also thought Joe Milton showed the best touch that we’ve seen, and he’s been working on that.”
Milton’s measurables at the combine were limited as he took part in just the vertical leap and registered a 35-inch jump, and he had a 10-foot-1 distance in the broad jump.
FSU’s Green was somewhat average in defensive back drills on Friday, turning in a No. 7 grade of the 14 cornerbacks listed as receiving grades at the combine. Green, one of the top cover-corners in the country, did not run as fast in the 40-yard dash as he would have liked, clocking 4.49 seconds. He also had a short vertical leap at 37.5 inches. There were 13 players who jumped higher. He did have a top-3 broad jump at 10-feet-11. Green is projected to be selected by the fifth round of this year’s draft due to his impressive cover skills and ability to read quarterbacks, track the ball and keep pace with receivers.
Clemson’s Davis was certainly hoping for better results. A few of his numbers at the combine were lower than his personal bests, and that had to be disappointing for the four-time All-ACC defensive lineman. Ten linemen were better than his 9-feet broad jump and eight were better than his 5.02 40-yard dash. Davis’ strength, however, is in his leverage, and his ability to fight off blockers with his amazing upper-body strength, which showed in his bench press. He tied for second among the 10 DTs with 29 reps at 225 pounds.
Carlies is somewhat of a baffling NFL prospect. The former Missouri star had nine interceptions during his Mizzou career but that stat certainly does not seem to resonate with NFL analysts, many of whom project him to fall off the draft board as a free agent. At the combine, he ran a middle-of-the-pack 40 at 4.5 seconds and had a low vertical at 32.5 inches. He did have a top-5 broad jump at 10.5 inches and a top-2 in the bench press with 20 reps. Regardless of how he gets his NFL contract, he is expected to be a steal for some team.
This combine will not matter in August, however, when everything is up to each player and the coaches who inherit them. Training camp is when careers are made.
Chris Hays covers high school and college football, as well as college football recruiting and the NFL. He can be found on X @OS_ChrisHays or on Instagram @OS_ChrisHays. He can be reached via email at chays@orlandosentinel.com.
