Latest News: Just In Tennessee Volunteers Head Coach Josh Heupel Just Confirm The Signing Of Another Super Star Player

The first draft selection chosen by Tennessee out of the three has formally signed his first NFL contract.

The first Tennessee player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft has formally agreed to terms on a rookie contract with his new team. The New England Patriots selected quarterback Joe Milton III in the sixth round of the draft. Milton III spent three seasons as a Vol and started all eight games during the 2023 regular season. The Patriots announced on Friday afternoon that Milton III was one of three draft selections they will sign. This weekend was Milton’s first NFL workout; he was taken by the Patriots with the 193rd overall pick during their rookie minicamp.

As a sixth-round selection, Milton signed a four-year rookie deal with an estimated value of $4,203,317, which includes a guaranteed signing bonus of $183,316, according to financial data from Over The Cap.

The other two draft selections from Tennessee, cornerback Kamal Hadden (Chiefs) in the sixth round and running back Jaylen Wright (Dolphins) in the fourth, have not yet signed, but they have all participated in rookie minicamp drills with their new teams.

The New England Patriots, who selected North Carolina standout Drake Maye with the third overall pick, drafted Milton, who will wear No. 19.

First-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters on Saturday, “You have to (develop them) together.” “It should be an equitable contest, particularly when we begin playing attack against defense. Again, there are several coaches here with experience in this role. Hence, those individuals must fend for themselves to get out there and become healthier after the specified period has passed. That’s when the guys that go above and above really start to stand out.

For the first time since the mid-1990s, Tennessee will have back-to-back quarterback selections in the draft with Milton following 2023 third-round pick Hendon Hooker. The Vols are one of only three teams in the last five years to have quarterbacks selected in back-to-back drafts.

The 6-foot-5, 246-pound Florida native played his first three years of college ball at Michigan, where he started five games for the Wolverines in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. After that, he transferred to Tennessee, where he went 11–5 in his first season as a starter and passed for 2,813 yards on nearly 65% of the passes (229 of 354), with five interceptions and twenty touchdowns in addition to seven rush touchdowns.

Though the two initially met at the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana last summer, Milton was in the same quarterback group at the NFL Scouting Combine after competing in the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Following Saturday’s practice, Maye told reporters, “Joe’s my guy.” “I saw him down at the Manning camp and got to know him throughout my time in college. As a result, the two of us novices are merely attempting to learn from each other. We’re simply out here trying to chuck it and let it rip because we have strong arms.