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Will Jalen Milroe thrive in Seattle? No one knows…
By David Wasson
Published:
Will former Alabama QB Jalen Milroe thrive with the Seattle Seahawks?
Listen, here’s the deal… no one knows.
No one knows for sure if Cam Ward will end up leading the Tennessee Titans to greatness any more than if the Titans will even be in Tennessee 50 years from now. No one knows whether Shedeur Sanders will use the unquestioned snubs by 31 other NFL teams as fuel to become a successful pro quarterback now that he has finally been drafted by Cleveland.
No one knows. And anyone who tells you otherwise is deluding themselves and trying to delude you as well.
The NFL Draft is as much a speculative market as college football recruiting – as experts, so-called experts, pundits, talking heads and the guy sitting next to you on a barstool all can lay claim to owning the eye-test results that no one can truly see. Because selecting talent on draft day means divining how players will adapt to the NFL and how the NFL will adapt to them.
Out in Seattle, that metamorphosis is about to commence in earnest with the 92nd overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Perhaps no player in the SEC comes with more theoretical upside than former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe – which is also to say that perhaps no player in the SEC was more maddeningly incomplete in his college career than Milroe.
On one hand, Milroe seems to embody all the physical traits NFL scouts salivate over. At 6-2 and 225 pounds with a cannon for an arm, Milroe passes every eye test known to man. His pro day workout mirrored what scouts would see during Alabama in-season practices, showing an athlete that can make all the throws.
But as the saying goes, the tape doesn’t lie. And Milroe’s Alabama game tape the past 2 seasons is a cornucopia of mixed results that moved what is a first-round skillset to a third-round reality. Milroe often looked hurried and lacking rhythm when working from the pocket, and both his processing and decision-making were maddeningly inconsistent. Other knocks included a success rate that plummeted when forced off his primary option, appearing slow to sense mounting pressure and thus absorbing too many sacks, and struggling to complete the anticipatory throws.
Of course, anyone who saw Milroe compete for the Crimson Tide the past 2 seasons knows that his value didn’t derive from just being a prototypical quarterback. Instead, Milroe rushed for 1,257 yards and 32 touchdowns over his 2 seasons as Alabama’s full-time starter. And his 20 rushing TDs last season ranked eighth in FBS among all positions while setting a single-season school record for a quarterback.
One needs to look no further than Baltimore to understand that there is certainly a place for a quarterback who can change games with his legs, as Lamar Jackson has been responsible for more gray hair on the heads of opposing defensive coordinators than just about any non-Patrick Mahomes quarterback in the past 10 years.
But is the comparison of Milroe to Jackson really accurate? Probably not, as the former likely compares more to Taysom Hill at the next level – a player who can be used pretty much all over the offense commensurate to the level of imagination/guts of his offensive coordinator.
That Milroe is headed to Seattle is interesting, in that the Seahawks’ QB room isn’t exactly bare. The Seahawks just signed Sam Darnold to a 3-year, $100.5 million deal back in March to be their starter after trading Geno Smith to the Raiders, and recently signed Drew Lock as a backup. Seattle also has Jaren Hall in the mix. Adding Milroe makes for a crowded group.
Seattle drafting Milroe was also slightly unique in that the team hasn’t exactly splurged on QBs in the draft in recent years, only taking 2 since 2010 (with Russell Wilson being one). Seahawks general manager John Schneider addressed that slyly during the pre-draft process with reporters, saying “I think it depends on the team, the player, the quarterback, how you’re going to acquire him, where you’re going to acquire him.”
Even as he joins a quarterback roster that may require some drywall to be removed and a proven starter ahead of him, Milroe could be the perfect fit for Seattle. Darnold’s presence will allow Milroe to fully adapt to the NFL without the pressure of being a Day 1 starter, while the Seahawks can also imagine up some innovative ways to incorporate his unique skillset on Day 1.
But in the final analysis, no one knows if Milroe will become Lamar Jackson 2.0, Ryan Leaf 2.0 or somewhere in between – not anyone who has watched Milroe play and occasionally struggle for 2 seasons in Tuscaloosa, are camped on a barstool in the great Northwest or are somewhere in between.
No one knows.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
