Jalen Milroe lined up to throw passes at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday and it looked like a muscled-up superhero was playing quarterback. Maybe it just didn’t look that way. Maybe that’s actually the way it was.
When Milroe, the former Alabama quarterback, started throwing, the footballs flew like they had their own propulsion systems. Like other quarterbacks throwing, they weren’t always accurate. But his arm is lively and you could see the potential, the raw material for a possible NFL star. It’s all there.
As Milroe threw, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said something notable: Milroe was an ‘elite, elite runner’ whose running skills he compared to Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft. Yes, Jeremiah said elite twice.
Sometimes the combine can definitively answer questions about players. Many times it doesn’t and that was the case with Milroe. At Alabama he was an inconsistent player who at times showed greatness and in other moments, well, didn’t. The combine didn’t change the calculations on that.
Milroe is a leap of faith for teams. A really good one. One worth taking. But a leap nonetheless.
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If he ends up in the right situation with a smart offensive staff, he can prosper. In a big way. The opposite is true is if he ends up in the wrong place.
He needs to go where the coaches are open-minded. Where they are willing to design an offense around him. If that happens and he can improve his throwing accuracy then, yes, he could be a star. That’s what I said. A star.
Milroe said at the combine he was comfortable with people underestimating him.
‘I’m cool with being underrated,’ Milroe told the media. ‘I play in the hardest conference in the country. I played against the number one team in the country, the number one defense in the country. So, if I lack knowledge, I wouldn’t be able to win big games. And 2023, my first year starting, I didn’t lose a SEC game and was playing a lot of different defenses, a lot of things that was unraveled when it came to the game planning and a lot of things I pour into (it) that people don’t see.’
Another stat to focus on (emphasizing what Jeremiah said about Milroe’s running ability): Last season he had 726 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.
Milroe didn’t play well at the Senior Bowl and that’s another data point. Still, he’s easily worth the risk.
One last thing, based on the comments Milroe made at the combine, he definitely gets it.
‘I love football,’ Milroe said. ‘I love everything about it. I know where I’m at today, I’m going to be even better at this time next year. Everything I try and do is for the betterment of the team and not be one-dimensional at all when it comes to physical attributes on the football field. There’s a lot of things I can improve on, but there’s a lot of things that I can say I can definitely do. What I saw in the SEC has catapulted me to being ready to play in the NFL.’
He’s ready. Just be patient, NFL, and you may get a star.
