Swing for the fences

Are Rams a sleeper team for Alabama QB Jalen Milroe at 26th overall?

Perhaps one of the most underdiscussed prospects of the 2025 NFL Draft is Jalen Milroe. The former Alabama quarterback was invited by the league to attend the event, which is usually a sign that the player will be selected in the first couple of rounds.

Consensus boards are tracking Milroe towards the bottom of the second round, though 25.6% of mock drafts include him in the first.

Teams are normally willing to bet on quarterbacks with physical tools even if there are legitimate concerns about their abilities as a passer. We saw Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson grow leaps and bounds from the college game into perennial MVP candidates, and Milroe belongs in the same class in terms of athletic attributes alone.

It only takes one team to fall in love with a player and take him with conviction. As the draft draws near, it doesn’t take much to understand how Milroe could skyrocket towards the top of the 2025 class.

Rare air

There are only a handful of current quarterbacks that compare to Milroe athletically: Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Justin Fields.

Milroe: 6-2, 225 lbs.; 4.37 40-yard dash

Jackson: 6-2, 205; 4.34

Daniels: 6-4, 210; 4.32

Fields: 6-3, 227; 4.44

All three of Jackson, Daniels, and Fields were taken in the first round—though Jackson was the very last pick on the first day in 2018.

Maybe the most glowing draft profile on Milroe came from Pro Football Focus (PFF) who lent high praise to the Alabama QB’s arm strength:

Milroe’s best asset is his arm strength. He has a cannon and natural ability. His arm shows up the most on deep balls. When he lets it loose over 40 yards, he’s one of the best in the business. Milroe’s 95.8 PFF passing grade on such throws is the best in the draft class. Arm talent is where he can win as a passer at the next level. It allows him to be imperfect with his timing because his arm can make up for it. Sometimes, he needs to reign in that arm strength and learn to throw with some touch on shorter passes, but when he gets to show it off on the deep ball, it’s special.

How rare is Milroe as a runner? Well, he clocked faster than his Alabama teammate and Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs according to CBS Sports:

There is no need to bury the lede — Milroe’s biggest strength is his rushing ability. He was once tracked as running faster on GPS than Jahmyr Gibbs when they were teammates at Alabama. Yes, you read that right. He eliminates angles to the sideline, beating second and third level defenders with a step on him to start and he can also make defenders miss in tight areas.

Sure, it’s possible if not probable that Milroe ends up closer to Justin Fields than Lamar Jackson or Jayden Daniels; however, Fields is the type of player that teams love to continue to bet on. That’s why the New York Jets made him their starter and guaranteed two years on his contract this offseason.

For the same reason, Milroe is also worth the gamble. It might take a first round pick to acquire him.

Is Milroe Sean McVay’s Trey Lance?

It’s not hard to understand the San Francisco 49ers’ plan behind draft Trey Lance third overall in 2021. It’s also not hard to understand why he didn’t pan out.

The 49ers swung for the fences

After watching a Super Bowl victory against the Kansas City Chiefs getting stolen from their grasp by the all-talented Patrick Mahomes, Kyle Shanahan talked himself into Lance after trading up into the early first round. The 49ers were simply outmatched against Mahomes with a limited Jimmy Garoppolo under center. Lance was supposed to have the answers and ability to create on his own even when Shanahan’s offense was out of options from an X’s and O’s standpoint.

They missed big-time

Ask me why Lance didn’t work out for San Francisco and I’ll ask whether you have all day.

Lance was 20 years during the 2021 draft process and had roughly 300 college passing attempts under his belt. All the physical tools and more were there that justified making the bet.

But it’s not like the 49ers were patient with Lance and allowed him to accumulate more experience. Injuries were also to blame. Ultimately, Lance made only four starts in San Francisco before the 49ers and Shanahan pulled the plug.

Does Sean McVay feel the allure?

It’s hard to watch what Jalen Hurts has become with the Philadelphia Eagles and not want that for yourself. After being taken in the second round and stealing Carson Wentz’ starting job, Hurts has become somewhat of a cheat code and short-yardage savant in Philly. Daniels also has a similar knack with the Washington Commanders.

It simply makes life easier when you have a quarterback who sees his receivers are covered and can pick up a handful of yardage with his legs to keep you ahead of the chains on second, third, and fourth down. That’s not a luxury Sean McVay has enjoyed during his time with the Los Angeles Rams, as neither Jared Goff nor Matthew Stafford will routinely beat you with their legs.

I come back to the idea that McVay and Shanahan have very similar roots. They were in Washington together when Robert Griffin, Jr. took the NFL by storm as a rookie. They both understand how much there is to gain with a quarterback who can create on their own even after the defense takes away all elements of the designed play.

With Stafford satisfied thanks to his latest contract adjustment, there’s no pressure for a rookie quarterback to play right away. That’s exactly what Milroe needs if he’s going to make the jump from a talented college prospect to NFL star.

Will Jalen Milroe catch McVay’s eye in this draft? Could the Rams be a sleeper destination for the quarterback at 26th overall?