Seahawks Tab Potential QB of Future, Select Jalen Milroe With 94th Overall Pick
With the draft board falling in their favor towards the end of the third round, the Seattle Seahawks added more intrigue and upside to their quarterback room by using their 92nd overall pick on athletically gifted Alabama star Jalen Milroe.
After waiting his turn behind eventual No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young in Tuscaloosa, Milroe took over as the Crimson Tide’s starter in 2023, enjoying a stellar first year under center with 23 touchdown passes, 2,834 passing yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting and entered the 2024 campaign as a front runner to win the award running new coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense, which helped current Falcons quarterback Michael Penix emerge as a top-10 pick last year.
While Milroe had some outstanding moments last season, however, including throwing a game-winning touchdown to put away Georgia in a rivalry game, his numbers regressed in his second season under center and his inconsistently led to tough losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Along with throwing just 16 touchdown passes, his interception total jumped to 11 and his interception rate nearly doubled in comparison to 2023. He did put together a remarkable season as a runner, finding the end zone for 20 rushing touchdowns to fuel Alabama’s offense, and the team still won nine games.
Rebuilding his stock to an extent after a somewhat disappointing end to his time with the Crimson Tide, Milroe participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile and put on a show at his pro day workout, running the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.39 seconds, displaying rare burst for the quarterback position. He interviewed well with teams throughout the pre-draft process, including an official visit with the Seahawks where he talked ball with the coaching staff.
Coupled with his speed, Milroe has a cannon for an arm with the ability to make any throw downfield and he averaged 10 yards per attempt in 2023, regularly torching opponents as a vertical passer with plenty of touch airing it out to his standout receivers. When he’s locked in and playing within himself, he has all of the physical tools to develop into a high-level starter in the league.
As a passer, while Milroe has the arm strength to let it rip down the seam and on deep balls that will excite teams seeking big plays in the passing game, his accuracy in the short/intermediate game has been feast or famine and he has a long way to go developing improved pocket presence to sense oncoming rushers. Those issues were evident at times in Mobile, as he missed on several throws inside 10 yards during drill work and scrimmage periods, while the rush bearing down on him created problems in the All-Star game.
But landing in Seattle presents a great opportunity for Milroe to develop those deficiencies in his game with Sam Darnold entrenched as the starter and Drew Lock and Sam Howell currently on the roster as experienced veteran backups. Early on, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak could choose to deploy him as he did Taysom Hill in New Orleans last year as a wildcat quarterback, and in time, with Darnold’s contract offering outs after the first and second year of his contract, depending on how quickly he progresses behind the scenes, it’s not out of the question that he could be the franchise quarterback in waiting.
