Bertrand: Joe Milton Has a Higher Ceiling Than Drake Maye

On Tuesday's edition of Zolak and Bertrand, the guys compared the potential ceilings between Joe Milton and Drake Maye. This prompted beetle to explain how Joe Milton has a higher ceiling, but he doubts that the quarterback will reach it.

Bertrand: The ceiling, which guy has the higher ceiling? Do you think it could be Joe Milton? I say yes. Joe Milton's ceiling is higher because of his physical abilities that he possesses, and the athleticism that he possesses. But I think Mike Florio gave you the right answer in there, and that is, who knows if he'll ever reach it.

Zolak: Right.

Bertrand: My thought is, I get why you're asking the question. It's August, and we need some things to talk about it.

Zolak: That's that's the point of it.

Bertrand: But he spent six years in college. Six seasons he was in college, three at Michigan, and three at Tennessee. Including last year as their starter. Don't you think he'd be a little closer to reaching that ceiling after six years at college? Six seasons of college football.

Zolak: That's the scary thing. I don't want to say lack of development there, but the lack of honing his his true skills. He is the most physically and athletically gifted guy that they have at the position, there's no doubt about that. The pro ready stuff, how much are you picking up here throughout camp, because he hasn't called a play in the huddle since he was 17. At Michigan, and at Tennessee he never called a play in the huddle. This is where the collegiate game and what it is today, really hampers the quarterback development. Like you got to come from a special program that has a pro-style coach. Jim Harbaugh, the way he developed Andrew Luck at Stanford, the way he developed JJ McCarthy at Michigan. Milton looked calm, cool, and collected last week. He did the most with the opportunity that he was given. But, there's a reason that he's getting only one and two snaps here. Like people have a tough time grasping that. But I'm with you like the ceiling is there. I don't know if he'll ever hit that potential.

This year’s New England Patriots training camp has a chance to be as busy and as involved as any camp the team has had in recent years. After all of their offseason changes - in terms of both players and coaches - the team has a lot of questions to answer as camp begins on Wednesday. 

Of course, position and roster battles tend to be the bigger storylines of any training camp, but there’s much more going on than just that. So, having already covered the top position battles to watch this summer last week, let’s dig a little deeper. 

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the biggest non-battle storylines to watch at each position on the Patriots’ roster (not including coaching, which is in itself arguably the biggest story following the departure of Bill Belichick but will have less tangible short-term results). That ranges from individual player improvement and usage to full positional questions. 

Heading down to Gillette Stadium for a practice or two this summer, or just following along from afar? Here are some key storylines to keep track of…

Quarterbacks: Drake Maye’s development

This is probably the most obvious ‘what to watch for’ of all the positions. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye seemingly checked every box he could be expected to check in the spring non-padded, non-contact practices. Can he keep building and keep that momentum going in camp?

The biggest test will be when the pads come on and he starts facing something resembling more of a ‘live’ pass rush. That will build up to the actual pass rushers he’ll face in the preseason. Can he operate as cleanly when there are NFL defenders actually on their way to/allowed to hit him?

Running backs: How are they splitting up the reps

For a long time, the Patriots split their running back responsibilities by situation. They had early-down backs (ex. Antowain Smith, Corey Dillon, LeGarrette Blount, Stevan Ridley) and passing-down backs (ex. Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen, James White). While some backs did both, for the most part there was a clear division in the usage. 

Now the Patriots are running a new offensive philosophy with a new coaching staff, and have two well-rounded backs at the top of their depth chart in Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. They are now set up better to divide the workload simply by rotation or fatigue, rather than situation. This can have the advantage of making the offense less predictable, but running backs capable of playing this style can be harder to find. 

Training camp will give us an early look at how the Patriots are dividing the workload. Are there certain situations only one back is repping in? How comfortable do the backs look, not just catching the ball, but blocking? These will be important to track at the position.

Wide receivers: Is Kendrick Bourne ready to start the season?

There’s a log-jam at the bottom of the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart, which we discussed in our position battle preview. As those players compete amongst themselves, Kendrick Bourne’s ability will loom large.

Bourne is working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in October. He didn’t participate in any practices this spring, but was on the field with his teammates at times in street clothes. There hasn’t been an update on Bourne specifically since, but head coach Jerod Mayo did tell reporters at the end of minicamp that - besides Cole Strange - he expects all players to be good to go within “the first couple of weeks of training camp.”

If Bourne is back and at full strength by roster cuts, that’s one less wide receiver job available. However, there is a new rule this year where up to two players can be placed on IR prior to final roster cuts, and still be eligible to return during the regular season. If Bourne isn’t going to be ready for Week 1, the Patriots could go that route with him - potentially opening another spot for a receiver.

Special teams: New kickoff rule