Jalen Milroe is the NFL Draft’s largest wild card

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe is without doubt one of the most charming prospects within the 2025 NFL Draft. After stepping out from below Bryce Younger’s shadow in 2023, the Crimson Tide sign caller wowed followers and NFL Draft evaluators with athleticism that had his former coach Nick Saban marveling at him.

After being benched in 2023 after the USF recreation, Milroe got here again with a vengeance, ending the season in a flourish that mixed an SEC Championship victory with some of the spectacular throws I’ve ever seen within the 2023 Iron Bowl in opposition to Auburn.

2024 was speculated to be one other continued 12 months of development, however the season was stuffed with highs and lows. For each monster recreation he had in opposition to groups like Georgia in 2024, there have been video games like his closing one in opposition to Michigan that simply depart you wanting extra from him. Now, he enters the NFL Draft as the most important instance of the Peter Griffin mystery box meme. Jalen Milroe may very well be something — he might even be a famous person QB! However what does he deliver to the desk and what does he have to enhance on as a passer to succeed in that ceiling?

For one, when Milroe will get to the NFL, he’ll instantly be top-of-the-line, if not the perfect athlete on the QB spot. He ran a 4.37 40-yard sprint on the Alabama professional day at 6’1 and 216 kilos, which is tremendous spectacular for anybody at that dimension, not to mention a QB. Jalen Milroe isn’t only a math-changing runner; he’s a field-tilting one. His imaginative and prescient and burst as a runner are next-level, and an NFL offense can design run recreation packages for him within the purple zone instantly in his first 12 months to attempt to get some explosiveness on the sector. Alabama cherished sending him behind RB Jam Miller in some fairly dope designed-run recreation appears, and Milroe was capable of be explosive behind that.

Watch one in every of his 4 (!) landing runs in opposition to LSU proper right here. He’s following behind Miller, and most QBs are far too impatient to let this run develop. However watch Milroe hold the cornerback (14) set as much as the skin, then get vertical. The security is in a poor spot, and Milroe makes him pay by blasting via the lane the place the security needs to be and into the tip zone.

Not solely is he a runner with good imaginative and prescient and burst, he can pressure missed tackles as effectively. He had a 14.3% Damaged Deal with and Missed Deal with Price as a runner, however that’s largely attributable to the truth that he ran the ball so darn a lot. His explosiveness briefly areas mixed along with his decrease physique leg drive make him a tough man to sort out in any situation, not simply the designed run recreation. Simply ask Auburn, who seemed like they had been making an attempt to sort out a person made out of rubber like they’re CP9 in One Piece.

Auburn will get a free runner on a blitz in opposition to Alabama’s QB draw, virtually a loss of life knell for many designed QB run performs. Milroe freezes this runner and turns it right into a 9-yard acquire, simply off pure athleticism.

Now, I guess you’re in all probability asking “effectively what about his capability as a passer?” I’m right here to inform you … that it’s nonetheless coming alongside. Nonetheless, there are situations the place his passing potential shines via, particularly throwing downfield and off play motion. His On-Goal Price of 87.5% off play motion (excluding RPOs) is an enormous soar from his 69.3% On-Goal Price with out play motion or RPO utilization. If you take a look at his passing off play motion, his ft are a lot cleaner and he snaps the ball out to his targets loads faster. Sure, this over route is open, however take a look at Milroe’s ft and passing mechanics utilizing play motion. A lot, a lot tighter and environment friendly.

Off play motion, he may also exhibit the arm expertise that I might describe as a “hose”. The ball placement and accuracy comes and goes, however with the ability to hit this out-route from the sector is a few pure arm expertise, man. I can positively see a group speaking themselves into this.

One thing else groups will discuss themselves into is the deep ball. Cory Kinnan charted Milroe’s deep ball at 51%, which is above common for his scouting profile. He can, and can, unload deep passes with loads of contact and is on-target in that zone as effectively. When you may put the ball in a bucket like this, an NFL group could make you into one thing.

This can be a huge boy throw, an out-breaker in opposition to man protection to the far facet of the sector. He sees the defender journey with WR Ryan Williams and the security excessive, which permits him to entry this nook route by placing the ball into the bucket.

Okay, now that we’ve mentioned what Milroe can do and may be on the NFL stage, let’s discuss a few of his shortcomings. To start out off, placing it merely: His accuracy and ball placement are all over. Pretty much as good as he’s at throwing the deep ball, his fast recreation ball placement is extremely poor. As I sat watching him miss on straightforward targets, I puzzled why he would miss on these however be on the cash downfield. I feel a majority of it comes from his mechanics and his ft. Take a look at this incompletion in opposition to Tennessee from his decrease half. As Williams runs this over route, Milroe’s physique isn’t set to throw this precisely, however man he simply sails this as a result of his plant leg isn’t lined up with the place he’s throwing. There are too many situations of this on the tape, the place his decrease physique is mechanically out of whack.

Milroe may even lock his again leg usually when he throws the ball, sapping his accuracy downfield regardless of having a robust arm. He finally ends up protecting his again leg behind him and the throw finally ends up being all arm, hurting him on passes like these the place he simply sails it.

That is the most important knock in Milroe’s recreation, what’ll maintain him again from being a constant starter. He’s not a brilliant versatile passer, which impacts the varied arm angles he might probably unlock. Philadelphia Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts can be not a versatile passer, however Hurts’ growth monitor and what he’s as a passer may very well be one thing that Milroe replicates. Nonetheless, to ensure that him to do this he’s going to have to repair his decrease physique.

I additionally assume that his course of is only a tick late an excessive amount of. He holds on to the ball a little bit too lengthy, and it typically will get baffling. The problem is, although, I don’t assume he’s being fooled by the protection. I feel it’s as a result of he’s ready for the receiver to uncover versus throwing him open. Milroe will maintain onto the ball to let his receiver get into the window as a substitute of throwing with anticipation, and the ball goes the best place, however the timing is manner off. Let’s take a look at this play in opposition to Michigan, the place he’s appropriate to focus on the over route, however he waits till he’s actually vast open to let this ball go, and it permits for the security to drive on the ball and pressure an incompletion. That’s what alarms me essentially the most with Milroe, much more than the accuracy.

The NFL has seen these extremely athletic quarterbacks get drafted and nonetheless have but to pan out. The Colts took Anthony Richardson within the prime 5 (which admittedly I loved), as a result of though he was going to take a minute to pan out, the athletic upside was an excessive amount of to cross up.

With Milroe, I feel groups are reeling from what happened with Richardson and Justin Fields (who’s an excellent comparability enjoying type smart), which is pulling Milroe down the board. Nonetheless, the highs are so excessive and is likely to be too good to cross up.

Now I don’t see him occurring Day 1 in any respect, however on Day 2 I can see somebody shopping for in on the upside and athletic instruments. He’ll take a look at a group’s (and their fanbase’s) endurance, however in the best ecosystem, he actually may very well be something.