Tennessee's Joe Milton at 2024 NFL combine to show off his brain — and then maybe his arm
INDIANAPOLIS — Maybe, on his last throw, if he's feeling good and shown scouts everything he needs to show, former Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton will launch a ball as far as he can.
Milton takes the field at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, a chance to show the league's coaches, general managers and front office staffs just how talented he is. Milton's arm strength is the stuff of legend, and there's no doubt he can throw a ball up into the stands of Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium if he so chooses.
But Saturday is another chance for Milton to show he's more than a big arm.
"I’m here for completions," Milton said. "But I may show a little bit."
Milton says he hasn't gotten any negative feedback in meetings with NFL clubs this week. He says teams have positively received his personality and intelligence, highlighting the skills he learned in his college stints at Michigan and Tennessee. His Michigan years, he says, prepared him for whiteboard work and play recall at the highest level. His time in Knoxville was like "QB school," teaching him to understand defenses.
"Some people don’t know how smart I am," Milton said. "Just showing what I can do on the board. Showing how our offense from Tennessee can translate but also showing how my Michigan education is very important and how smart I am. That’s pretty much it."
Milton ranks as the consensus 10th-best quarterback prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class. He ended his six years of college having made 17 starts and winning 12 of them, including leading the Vols to an 8-4 record in 2023. His skills rank among the best in the class. But Milton seems focused on showing teams he's more than his collection of talents.
He's talking about things like condensed splits and touch passing. He's focusing on explaining how the Tennessee offense is transferrable to pro schemes and showing what he can do with the ball in his hands. He's done trying to prove who he is to the people who doubt him.
The teams that are giving Milton a chance are the ones Milton is letting in.
"Not too many people actually get to know Joe," Milton said. "They get to see my personality side, see how fun I am to be around, see what type of person I am in the locker room so that I can get guys going if I barely even know them."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Joe Milton's NFL combine strategy? Brain first, then arm strength
