From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Alabama QB Jalen Milroe.
#4 Jalen Milroe/QB Alabama – 6-2, 225 pounds. (Redshirt Junior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Jalen Milroe | 6-2/225 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
*Pro Day Measurements/Numbers
The Good
– Solid frame with lots of muscle
– Excellent arm talent and is at his best pushing the ball downfield
– Able to drop vertical throws in the bucket
– Shows touch on throws and is able to layer the ball
– Excellent athlete who is able to make plays on designed and improvised runs
– Has second gear and unusual burst to beat second- and third-level defenders
– Speed to win the edge and size to break tackles; can create and legs must be accounted for
– Capable of going through his progressions and make full-field reads
– Quick and compact release
– Passes have good zip and velocity
– Poised in the pocket and doesn’t look to immediately bail
– Size and strength to throw out of sacks
– Played against top-notch competition
The Bad
– Wildly erratic
– Misses too often on routine short- and medium-level throws
– Passes tend to sail, especially when under pressure
– Doesn’t make enough YAC throws in quick/screen game; throws in flat consistently stopped target’s momentum
– Struggles to read coverage and makes too many mistakes/misreads
– Tends to drift in pocket and get too much depth after reaching top of his drop
– Struggled in big games at end of 2024 season (1 TD, 5 INTs over final three games, losing to Oklahoma and Michigan)
– Feast/famine player
Bio
– Turned 22 in December 2024
– Two-year starter for Alabama who also made one start in 2022 against Texas A&M
– Career: 426-of-663 (64.3-percent completion rate), 6,016 yards (9.1 YPA) 45 TDs, 20 INTs, 1,577 rushing yards with 33 additional scores
– 2024: 64.3-percent completion rate, 2,844 yards (8.9 YPA) 16 TDs, 11 INTs, 726 rushing yards with 20 scores
– Team captain in 2023 and 2024
– 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy Award winner, “Academic Heisman”
– Didn’t make All-SEC team in 2024, second team in 2023
– Four-star recruit from Katy, Texas, chose Alabama over Florida, Oregon, Virginia Tech, and a host of other schools
– No. 3 QB in country behind Caleb Williams and Ty Thompson
– Born in California and lived in Maryland before settling in Texas
– Initially committed to Texas in 2019 before flipping to Alabama in 2020 citing Coach Nick Saban and better chance to develop for NFL; replaced Drake Maye after Maye flipped from Alabama to North Carolina
– Threw for over 1,100 yards and led team to perfect 9-0 regular season record in 2020 and beat Katy HS to snap its 75-straight district win streak, threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2019
– Weighed 194 pounds as high school junior
– HS coaches regarded him as leader, charismatic, and “MVP of smiling”
– Briefly benched during 2023 season before re-gaining starting job
– Created LANK “Let All Naysayers Know” brand with Alabama teammate CB Terrion Arnold
Tape Breakdown
Jalen Milroe left his home state of Texas to learn from Nick Saban in Alabama, citing the goal of developing into an NFL quarterback. But Saban wasn’t around for Milroe’s final season as the Crimson Tide had one of their worst seasons with Milroe at the helm.
At his best, Milroe flashes. He’s well-built with a big-time arm, and his most impressive reps come when he can push the ball downfield. He shows an excellent arm with accuracy and the ability to drop the ball in the bucket.
His athleticism is also notable. Milroe has the size and strength to break tackles and absorb the hits he takes. He combines that with great burst and speed to win the edge and outrun defenders in open grass.
Milroe’s accuracy is his No. 1 problem. And it’s a big one. He’s wildly off on too many throws, especially more routine ones in short spaces. On RPOs, he was consistently off target that forced his receiver to adjust for the ball and slow/stop momentum. Examples from all four games I studied.
And he routinely missed high to all levels of the field, especially when under pressure.
And I really didn’t like how poorly he read this mesh concept on back-to-back chances against Georgia in 2024. Misses the man coverage and the shallow cross open in the first clip; doesn’t read the safety cutting him on the next.
While he had big-time performances in games like Georgia, Milroe wilted down the stretch this season with rough outings against Oklahoma and Michigan. That contributed to Alabama breaking its streak of 10-win seasons, finishing 9-4 and failing to make the College Football Playoff.
Off-field, Milroe is seemingly high character and easy for teams to fall in love with. He should receive high marks and strong locker room presence with his upbeat attitude and work ethic. That’s also reflected in him winning the William Campbell Award, the Academic Heisman, the same award Oregon’s Bo Nix won last year before turning in a strong rookie season with the Denver Broncos.
Conclusion
Overall, Milroe is a physically gifted quarterback who will fit best in a vertical system. One that allows him to air the ball out downfield. But regarding the details and minutia of the position, he’s got a lot to work on. In that sense, he reminds me of a Jameis Winston. A gun-slinger type and likeable in the locker room but hard to trust over a long season.
But Milroe is obviously the much better athlete than the pocket-passer Winston. That pushes me to an admittedly easy comp of Justin Fields while I’m sure he’ll also get Jalen Hurts references as well.
This is someone I think the Steelers will really like and consider on Day 2 of the draft. I don’t think I’d support it, but it feels like he’s their chance of getting a do-over after passing on Jalen Hurts in 2020. However, Milroe would feel hat on hat if the Steelers bring back Fields this offseason.
Projection: Mid-Late Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 7.2 – Fourth Round (Rotational Player)
Games Watched: vs Georgia (2024), at Tennessee (2024), at Wisconsin (2024), at Missouri (2024)
