BREAKING: Will Patriots draft another QB? Exploring best fits in 2025 Draft

There could be room for another developmental QB after the Joe Milton trade.

After trading Joe Milton away to the Cowboys, the Patriots appear to have their top two slots at the quarterback position settled: Drake Maye is the starter, Josh Dobbs is the backup.

But is there not room for a third? A developmental option for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and new quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant?

Mike Vrabel was head coach of the Titans when the team made two separate Day 2 investments at QB, looking for strong-armed athletes at the position when they took Will Levis in the second round (2023) and Malik Willis in the third (2022).

Eliot Wolf’s selection of Drake Maye a season ago would indicate he values similar physical tools at quarterback. Same goes for others from the Ron Wolf executive tree.

There are only nine QBs taken by Ron Wolf-tree execs with first or second-round picks, including Maye. That list also includes Brett Favre, for whom the Wolf-run Packers traded a first-round pick in 1992. Brian Brohm, Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Derek Carr and Alex Smith are the other early-round picks at the most important position in the sport for Wolf proteges.

It’s a small sample, but from those selections we can come up with a composite of what the Wolf-inspired “prototype” at the position might look like.

Outside of Mayfield (6-foot-1), these quarterbacks were at least 6-foot-2. They weighed in at 214 pounds or more, and their hand size measured 9 1/8 inches or more. All were considered to be strong-armed passers with the ability to throw on the move. Six of the nine were 21 years old when drafted.

While the athletic-testing profile isn’t exactly uniform, Brohm and Love were the only two quarterbacks who recorded short-shuttle times slower than 4.32 seconds. All who tested in the vertical recorded jumps of at least 30 inches, except Mayfield. All who tested in the broad jump hit at least 110 inches.

But then there are the intangibles that Ron Wolf and those from his tree have valued.

Per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, at the time of the Favre trade, it was made clear to reporters why Wolf valued the second-year Round 2 pick from Atlanta as much as he did.

“What Wolf said impressed him most about Favre was arm strength, leadership and athletic ability,” it was written at the time. “He described Favre as a fierce competitor with the capability to run, although without the speed of Chicago’s Jim Harbaugh or Minnesota’s Rich Gannon. He said Favre would have to improve his accuracy, and indicated he didn’t know when he would be ready to play.”

Eliot Wolf saw some similar traits in Maye, lauding him for his leadership and his ability to handle a less-the-ideal situation at North Carolina.

“He’s a great person,” Wolf told ESPN soon after drafting Maye. “He’s tough. He’s gritty. He was productive. He elevated those around him. He’s 6-foot-4 1/2 and 225 pounds. He can really throw the ball. He’s athletic.

“I think it’s a combination of those things. … His character and his passion for football. His drive. He’s an all-around good person. He’s really tough. He’s all football.”

The Patriots likely would be more willing to budge on some of their desired traits at the position when looking for a No. 3 in the room. But which quarterbacks in this class seem to meet most requirements — both tangible and intangible — for Vrabel and Wolf?

Let’s get to it…

Jalen Milroe, Alabama

Milroe may be long gone by the time the Patriots are even thinking about adding a developmental quarterback. He recently accepted an invitation to the draft in Green Bay, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, which would indicate the league has interest in him early on draft weekend. Not a stunner.

Milroe is a rare athlete at the position, even if he’s a tad undersized (6-foot-2, 217 pounds) to be considered a prototype. He led Alabama in rushing last season (726 yards) and possesses one of the strongest arms in the draft class. His accuracy and decision-making are works in progress (10 interceptions in SEC action), but as a project at the position, he has qualities that can’t be taught.

Milroe was a two-time captain for the Crimson Tide and won the prestigious Campbell Trophy (also known as “the Academic Heisman”). Vrabel’s Titans invested in Willis. Josh McDaniels invested in running threat Tim Tebow while in Denver.

To hear Milroe tell it, former Patriots offensive coordinator (and Vrabel friend) Bill O’Brien apparently wasn’t Milroe’s biggest fan as a quarterback when O’Brien coached at Alabama. But if Milroe gets to a certain point in the draft, would the Patriots pounce?

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe — Jalen Milroe led Alabama in rushing last season (726 yards) and has one of the strongest arms in the draft class.

Will Howard, Ohio State

Howard’s hand size (nine inches) might make him a tough fit for Wolf, but the Patriots took Maye last year with his hand size bumping right up against the low end of the threshold we’ve pegged here (9 1/8 inches). Otherwise, Howard is a passer who looks like New England’s type.

At 6-foot-4, 236 pounds, he has the frame to be able to stand tall in the pocket and absorb a hit. He’s also accurate enough to be intriguing for McDaniels, compiling a 73 percent completion rate (second in FBS) last season en route to a National Championship. Howard is a good enough athlete to make plays on the move, too, picking up 57 yards rushing on 16 carries in the championship game to help him earn the game’s Offensive MVP award.

He may need time to develop his understanding of how to get through progressions, but he’d have nothing but time to sit and watch in Foxboro.

Kyle McCord, Syracuse

The player Howard replaced in Columbus had a renaissance of sorts in 2024. Kyle McCord went from managing games at Ohio State to trying to carry a less-talented complement of weapons at Syracuse.

His gun-slinging approach got him into trouble at times with the Orange (12 interceptions), but he completed 66 percent of his passes and set an FBS record with 4,779 yards in his 13 starts last season.

He’s not as dynamic an athlete as some others in this class, but the 6-foot-3, 218-pounder will bring with him to the NFL the kind of toughness that could help him stick as a backup on someone’s roster.

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord — Kyle McCord set an FBS record with 4,779 passing yards last season.

Brady Cook, Missouri

Which Cook do the Patriots see when they evaluate him ahead of this year’s draft?

Is he the player he was in 2023, when he passed for 3,317 yards, 21 touchdowns and five picks? When he set an SEC record for passes thrown without a pick? Or is he the player he was when they last saw him in 2024, when he passed for 2,535 yards, 11 touchdowns and two picks?

The 6-foot-2, 214-pounder was a three-year captain for the Tigers, has a live enough arm, and is athletic enough to be considered for this list (9.72 Relative Athletic Score, per Kent Lee Platte). He played through injury last season, which impacted his overall performance, and if the Patriots liked what they saw from him two seasons ago, he looks like an enticing late-round flier.

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook — Brady Cook had an excellent 2023 season but regressed in 2024 while playing through injury.

Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

If the Patriots want to add a little toughness to their locker room, it would be hard to find a tougher option than Rourke at the quarterback spot. He played through a torn ACL in 2024 after transferring from Ohio University and still set a school record with 29 touchdown passes.

The Ontario native’s athleticism may be limited early on, since he had his knee surgically repaired in January. But his size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), touch and skills to maneuver inside the pocket make him an interesting fit for McDaniels and the Patriots.

Rourke’s brother Nathan played under Bill O’Brien in New England briefly in 2023 and completed nearly 80 percent of his passes (78.7 percent) for the British Columbia Lions in 2022.