The NFL Seems To Believe Jalen Milroe Will Be A First Round Draft Pick
In a year the NFL has decided to cut down on the number of players it invites to the NFL draft later this month, it is apparently expanding the list of invitees to borderline first-round propsect Jalen Milroe.
Milroe, who had a roller-coaster career at the University of Alabama, has reportedly accepted the league's invitation to attend the April 24-26 draft, the Athletic reported. OutKick has been unable to confirm the report.
But, assuming this is true, it is intriguing because it means multiple things:
Mar 19, 2025; Tuscaloosa AL, USA; Quarterback Jalen Milroe throws for scouts at the University of Alabama Pro Day as several Crimson Tide players worked out for NFL teams in the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility.
NFL Invites Players It Believes Are First-Rounders
Firstly, and most importantly, it suggests people in league circles are at least somewhat confident Milroe would be selected in the first round.
The league lately tries not to invite players it doesn't think are first-round picks. It tries to avoid the optics of having a prospect sit in the green room for hours on the Thursday of the first round only to miss out on being picked.
The league in the past has actually allowed prospects who lasted beyond the first round to go home, if they wished, to avoid embarrassment of coming back to the draft for Day 2. Will Levis was probably the last such example of this. He left the draft Thursday night only to be selected atop the second round on Friday.
So, clearly, the NFL at some level thinks Milroe would be gone by the end of the first round.
Mar 19, 2025; Tuscaloosa AL, USA; Quarterback Jalen Milroe runs the 40 yard dash at the University of Alabama Pro Day as several Crimson Tide players worked out for NFL teams in the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility.
NFL Wants Made-For-TV Moment
Another reason Milroe may have gotten an invitation is because the NFL wants a fair number of big-name players to attend the draft so it can have the TV moment of the draftee walking across the stage and hugging commissioner Roger Goodell.
And if you're reading this and getting the drift that television is a big deal for the NFL, then you're following along quite nicely.
The NFL may see the need to go deeper into its prospects depth chart this year because Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders are leaning toward spending the first round with their families rather than accepting invitations to the draft.
All those factors could be reasons Milroe, who threw only 16 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 2024, is getting his invitation.
Milroe, frankly, had something of a regression at Alabama in 2024 under new head coach Kalen DeBoer – throwing fewer TD passes and nearly twice as many interceptions as he did in 2023 under Nick Saban.
OutKick college reporter Trey Wallace, who covered multiple SEC and Alabama games during Milroe's career, says the Crimson Tide quarterback struggled to read the field and one reason he was able to salvage the mediocre statistics he did last season is freshman receiver Ryan Williams covered for a multitude of shortcomings.
Teams That Might Pick Milroe
So, amid all this, the NFL has gotten the message that Milroe is a first rounder?
Well, it's about projecting him as a prospect.
Milroe is a freak athlete. He has a gifted arm and is arguably the second-best vertical ball thrower in the draft behind Ward.
And this: He ran a 4.37 time at the Alabama pro day a couple of weeks ago. That's not just quarterback fast, it is wide receiver blazing speed.
Milroe could be a fit as a developmental backup for the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Rams. All those teams have or hope to have veteran quarterbacks as their starters in 2025.
The Saints, intent on starting Derek Carr, draft at No. 9.
The Steelers, still waiting and hopeful about having Aaron Rodgers as their starter, select No. 21.
And the Rams, who secured Matthew Stafford as their starter for 2025, hold the No. 26 overall selection. Stafford is 37 years old and backup Jimmy Garoppolo is 33.