Being the quarterback to close out the Nick Saban era and kick off the Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama is no easy task, but it’s one that Jalen Milroe handled with aplomb.
There were some ups and downs along the way, but the potential that Milroe displayed during his time with the Crimson Tide has him firmly on NFL radars. He figures to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jalen Milroe’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 225 pounds
- Position: Quarterback
- School: Alabama
- Current Year: Redshirt Junior
Milroe was a three-year starter at Tompkins High School in Katy, Texas. He led his team to 30 wins in his time as their starting quarterback, totaling 53 touchdowns in the process. He was a consensus four-star prospect coming out of high school and enrolled at Alabama after initially committing to Texas.
When Milroe first arrived at Alabama, Bryce Young had just taken over as the team’s starting quarterback. The latter went on to win the Heisman Trophy and lead the Crimson Tide to the national championship, so his starting position was the furthest thing from unstable.
Milroe ended up redshirting the 2021 season as a result, though he appeared in four games. He went 3-for-7 with 41 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions through the air. He also added 57 rushing yards on 15 attempts.
Young served as Alabama’s starter again in 2022, seeing as though he was a true sophomore the previous year and therefore unable to declare for the NFL Draft. Milroe served as the team’s primary backup again, this time starting his first career game in a 24-20 win over Texas A&M with Young hurt. Milroe ran for 81 yards and threw for three touchdowns, but he also threw an interception and fumbled the ball twice.
Once Young left for the NFL, Milroe took over as Alabama’s starting quarterback in 2023. He won the quarterback battle against Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson, and while Buchner started the Crimson Tide’s early season matchup against USF, Milroe started every other game he played in for the remainder of the year.
Milroe finished the year with 2,834 passing yards, throwing 23 touchdowns to six interceptions with a 65.8% completion percentage. He also demonstrated his value in the ground game, rushing for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on 161 attempts. Alabama finished the year 11-2 and won the SEC in 2023, making the College Football Playoff but losing to eventual champion Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl semifinal.
Though he was eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft as a redshirt sophomore, Milroe decided to return to Alabama for another year. Saban was no longer the head coach, but DeBoer’s reworked offense made sure to still account for Milroe’s skill set. He threw for 2,844 passing yards with 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 64.3% completion percentage.
While his passing production dipped slightly, he was more productive as a runner, tallying 726 rushing yards on 168 carries with a total of 20 rushing touchdowns that placed second among all FBS quarterbacks. The Crimson Tide finished the year 9-4 and missed the postseason in the first year of the expanded 12-team playoff.
Milroe’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Dynamic dual-threat quarterback with an enticing combination of a strong arm and tremendous athleticism.
- Offers very good ball-carrier vision with top-notch lateral quickness for the quarterback position.
- Breakaway speed makes him a genuine threat to take off for a big gain at any moment.
- Agility, speed, and sturdy frame all make him a difficult ball carrier to bring down.
- Has an effortlessly strong arm with the ability to stretch the field with impressive distance.
- Generates ideal velocity behind his passes, which can help him make throws other quarterback prospects physically can’t.
- Does a good job of evading pressure in the pocket and keeping his head on a swivel.
- Keeps his head up looking for targets to throw to, even when he scrambles outside of the pocket.
- Flashes of accuracy give him a high ceiling when you consider how physically gifted he is.
Weaknesses
- Ball placement down the field can still be erratic at times.
- Doesn’t generate a ton of follow-through with his weight distribution when he throws.
- Footwork can be jittery when he sits in the pocket, and the lack of a stable base makes his accuracy spotty.
- Won’t wow scouts with his ability to go through full-field progressions and identify open targets past his first read.
- Has ball security issues, having fumbled the ball nine times and thrown 11 interceptions in 2024.
- Will need to be more secure as a ball carrier and will need to learn how to slide and avoid taking hits on a more consistent basis.
- Anticipation isn’t where it needs to be, as he often waits for a blatantly open target to throw the ball, as opposed to having a good feel for the route concept and his receiver’s separation to get the ball out quickly.
- Too keen to take a hit in the pocket rather than get the ball out to a check down or climb the pocket.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
From a purely physical perspective, Milroe might be the most talented quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Blessed with a cannon of an arm, a muscular build, and tremendous athleticism, Milroe is the perfect proverbial ball of clay. He has all the prerequisites to be a coach’s dream with how impressive his physical tools are. The flashes are there with him on tape, and when he gets the right amount of touch and timing behind his passes, he can make some seriously big plays.
There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with Milroe, though. Expectations were high for him heading into the 2024 season, and he did not progress from the previous season as well as many had hoped. He’s raw as a processor and generally pretty inaccurate, which comes down to spotty mechanics. His decision-making in the pocket will need to improve if he is to reach his full potential, and his ball security stands out as a legitimate concern as well.
Milroe ultimately has a first-round skill set with fifth-round tape. His value likely comes somewhere in the middle, where a team could use a Day 2 selection on him. This would bet on his tremendous ceiling without investing anything that would expect him to start right away. The boom-or-bust factor with Milroe is real, but NFL teams will always take a shot on a player with his type of raw talent.
