Like any player at this year’s Senior Bowl, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe will be happy to land with whichever NFL team drafts him. But he wouldn’t mind learning football – and life – lessons from Mike Tomlin in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.
Attending this week’s slate of practices ahead of the weekend’s game, Milroe spoke about meeting with Tomlin.
“His resume speaks for itself and so to be able to be in the same room as him is definitely something that I am, that [I] hold a lot of gratitude towards,” Milroe said of Tomlin to our Jonathan Heitritter. “And so he has so much knowledge, just being able to talk to him, interact with him, just get his perspective is outstanding for me as a player. Because you just try to grow. And so I just appreciate the moment that I had with him. Just utilizing the time I had.”
Milroe confirmed to Heitritter he had a formal meeting with Tomlin and the Steelers earlier this week.
He could be one of the Day 2 candidates the Steelers would consider drafting to their quarterback room. With size, strength, and as much mobility as any quarterback in this class, he checks baselines boxes Pittsburgh’s looking for. His character has always been held in high regard from high school to college. He overcame obstacles at Alabama, including briefly being benched in 2023, to re-gain the starting job last year and throughout 2024.
Reports from our Depot crew have painted a mixed picture of Milroe’s week. Similar to our scouting report, he flashes when pushing the ball downfield. But he has struggled with accuracy and reading defenses, throwing a bad pick into the waiting hands of a linebacker who had dropped into zone coverage.
Teams that believe Milroe can be coached up could fall in love the physical traits and the person. Others less convinced could stay away. It makes him a polarizing prospect with an unpredictable future, from the round he’ll go in to the team he’ll go to. But he’s staying positive through it all.
“Beauty is in the process and it’s all about the joy,” he told Heitritter. “I’ve been learning so much from my playing career, just having fun. Never lose joy of it. Why do you do it? I play football because of joy. And I love it. I love football and I love just the interactions I have in the locker room, just getting to know people. So I just never try to lose sight of that as I’m playing football.”
Frequent fliers down to Tuscaloosa, Tomlin and company figure to attend Alabama’s Pro Day later this draft cycle. That’ll likely result in another meeting with Milroe. If there’s a third interaction, it could come with a Tomlin phone call on Friday night of the 2025 NFL Draft.
