Still awaiting a decision from 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a holding pattern at the quarterback position.
In the pre-draft process though, the Steelers are seemingly looking high and low at the position. That includes Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, with whom head coach Mike Tomlin had dinner Tuesday night ahead of Alabama Pro Day Wednesday.
Milroe is coming off a tough 2024 season in which he had 16 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions while throwing for 2,844 yards. He also rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season. However, he struggled with fumbles, played poorly down the stretch and then measured in with small hands (9 3/8 inches) at the NFL Scouting Combine.
For SEC Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Chris Doering, who spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons with the Steelers, this is a “crucial year” for Tomlin, and a guy like Milroe could be the answer at quarterback for the Black and Gold in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“I mean, we’re talking about a position where every…the whole discussion the last couple weeks is, where is Aaron Rodgers gonna end up? And you know, I’ll defer to you a little bit on this, but I could see Jalen Milroe ending up in Pittsburgh whether Aaron Rodgers ends up signing with him or not,” Doering said, according to video via SEC Network. “He’s a guy that can come in and play right away. He’s always, as Dusty [Dvoracek] said, amazing skill set. He’s the best player on the field anytime he has the ball in his hands.
“You can use him in a package way. If you do get Aaron Rodgers, or if you have to go with a young quarterback, he’s a guy that can make plays just because of his God-given talent, if you need to insert him early on. So, I love him ending up in Pittsburgh.”
Milroe seems to be a divisive name at the quarterback position in what is a down quarterback class in the draft. Outside of Miami (FL)’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, there’ no surefire first-round quarterbacks. Ohio State’s Will Howard is very intriguing, as is Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, but neither are generating much franchise-calber QB buzz.
Neither is Milroe, but he has elite traits that teams tend to bet on at the position.
In his Milroe scouting report for Steelers Depot, Alex Kozora called him a physically gifted quarterback who would fit in a vertical system airing it out. However, Kozora noted that Milroe has a lot to work on regarding the details and nuances of the position.
“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.”
Milroe measured in at the Combine at 6017, 217 and has a strong right arm and is a dynamic weapon as a runner. He put up some impressive numbers in his career, throwing for 6,016 yards and 45 touchdowns across two full seasons as a starter. He completed 64.3% of his passes, too, but he threw 20 interceptions.
